The Blonde Hyuuga
by Dalxein
Summary: After Naruto befriends Hinata at a young age, they soon find themselves to be the best of friends. Ten years later, and something other than friendship brings them closer still... NaruHina, Title makes sense later on. Rated M just in case.
1. Fateful Days

HOKIES!!! New fic, so let's get this party started…

I don't own Naruto…

Yes, NaruHina. Yes, no OCs.

Now, _on with the shit_!

(If It seems a little rushed, it's because I'm kinda' trying to get somewhere... And I haven't slept in twenty hours... Whooo insomnia!)

* * *

The villagers of Konohagakure always looked down on Naruto. They'd tease him, pick on him, even try to beat and kill him; despite the fact that he was only a mere two and a half years old…

As such, he was constantly watched over by either an ANBU team, or the Sandaime himself. Today was special though… he had both. Since Sarutobi was taking him to play in the park like a normal boy his age. The aged Hokage sat himself down on a park bench, and urged the boy to go have fun. The boy was confused. He didn't like other people. Most of the older people scared him… So he went where he always did when he came to the park… the sandbox.

He always had fun digging around and building things, although Sarutobi was usually there to keep older kids from smashing whatever he was doing. That's happened a few times. This time, however, his sandbox was occupied. He didn't mind the girl his age playing there, it _was_ a rather good-sized area, but rather the fact that she had _guards_. Naruto inched his way over to the edge of the box, as far as he could from the two scary men. When they finally saw him, they started to dash over, but were stopped by a glare from the Hokage. "Hi…" The girl said from the other side of her sandcastle. "You wanna help?" Naruto, glancing up at her guards, saw they looked away angrily. They couldn't stop him… so he nodded. "I'm Hinata…"

"N-Naruto…" He said, indicating it was his name before he walked over to help her pack in the base of her castle. He looked over at her, and she smiled back. _Is making friends really this easy_? He thought.

After a few minutes of silent fun, the two heard a roar from behind them. "Hinata! Get away from that boy!"

"Hiashi!" A woman beside him plead; "Don't do anything rash!"

When Hinata saw her father was heading towards _Naruto_, and not her, she did something completely unexpected by everyone there… She stood up and stepped between her father and her friend, arms open wide to defend him. "_NO_." She said firmly. "Daddy, you keep scaring away all my friends! You're a _mean old man_ and I won't let you take away Naruto too! He's _MINE_!"

"Hinata, you don't kno-" Hiashi said, trying to reason with his daughter before she continued her argument.

"Mine!"

"Hina-"

"MINE!"

"Grr… dammi-"

"_MINE_!!!"

"Honey…" Hinata's mother spoke up, trying to calm her husband. "You know what we talked about, with the 'mine' phase kids go through?"

Hiashi nodded, but as he turned to plead his case, Hinata grabbed Naruto, who was still sitting by the sandcastle, and tightly hugged the dumbfounded boy's head to her stomach. "He's mine."

"I think it's cute…" Hiashi's wife chuckled.

"I agree…" Sandaime said, having walked over from his bench.

"Maybe we should set up a playdate for the two of them?" She asked.

"That sounds splendid." Sarutobi answered, neither giving Hiashi a say in the matter.

Hinata heard the word 'play' and was instantly overjoyed. Her father had failed to drive away her newest friend. Naruto however was still confused as ever as his first friend his age dropped him into the sand.

---

(Approximately six months later)

"No!" Hiashi said firmly. "I am not letting that fox brat share a bed with my _daughter_."

"Hiashi, it's her birthday… He's just staying the night because he's one of Hinata's only friends, and just happens to be the only friend she has _outside the family_." His wife said.

Hiashi grunted before walking away. "So, it's okay?" Naruto asked, walking in from the other room, closely followed by Hinata.

"Of course it is." She said. "It's Hinata's birthday after all. Now, why don't you two go play until the rest of the guests come?"

---

The two were curled up in Hinata's bed, asleep, snuggling together for warmth after a long day. They'd spent the entire day playing, opening presents, or sitting around with boring old people. "Those two are so cute together…" Hinata's mother said before she closed the door.

Just then, a figure swooped in from the roof, and looked down at the two. "Hn... Two brats…" Naruto stirred, and looked up at the figure, his eyes going wide as a fist struck his face. "I'd better take both of them…" Heaving one onto each shoulder, he jumped back out the same window, and started running out of the Hyuuga Compound. Before any of the guards could catch him, he ran along, the jarring motion waking Naruto again.

This man had hurt him. He didn't really care… it's happened before. He was being kidnapped. It's happened once before, so Naruto wasn't too surprised by it, but when he saw Hinata on the man's other shoulder, something in his mind snapped. _He wants to hurt Hinata…_ He thought. _He's kidnapping HINATA_. At that, the young Naruto reached down into the man's kunai pouch, pulled out a knife, and thrust it as far as he could into his kidnapper's back. Naruto and Hinata were flung aside unceremoniously, the man fully intended to kill Naruto now. But something was wrong. The boy had already risen to his feet, but he wasn't paying any attention to the man. The young blonde was looking over to the little girl, whose forehead was now bleeding from striking the ground. "You hurt Hinata…" Naruto said, turning back to the man. He felt a weight slowly grow over the area as the boy's glare slowly deepened, his eyes turning from crystalline blue to feral red. "_You hurt my Hinata_!!!" He yelled, dashing towards the man at an impossible speed for a civilian boy.

Naruto only heard three words before he blacked out; "_What are you!?"_

He didn't know how much time had passed before he'd lost himself, but Naruto knew he felt hot, and he felt tears… He was crying? No… there were arms around him, grasping him from behind, a woman… these were her tears. _"-safe Naruto…_Hinata's safe now!" He heard, as he regained his senses, and he felt the heat slowly die away. "You don't have to hurt him anymore! He can't hurt her now…"

Looking down, he saw her arms were covered in blood. Blood from his clothing, but also from bite marks and scratches she'd gotten while… _She was holding me back? From wha-_ Naruto thought, as he looked up, and saw several Hyuuga standing over a man, who was underneath a tarp-like blanket. There was blood everywhere… He looked over to his right, searching for Hinata where she fell, to see she was being held by her father. The girl was obviously scared of something. Looking up to see who was holding him, Naruto managed to squeak out a question; "Hi…kari? Did… I do something… bad?"

Hinata's mother looked down at the boy in her arms, or more specifically, into his bright blue eyes. "…No Naruto… you were just protecting your friend… you… you did a good thing…" She stood up to call someone over, but lost her balance, and was swiftly trying to right herself.

Hiashi rushed over, setting Hinata on the ground as he grasped his wife by her shoulders to steady her. "I told you it was a bad-" He started, only to have his wife strike the side of his face.

"He's the reason you still have a daughter! We _owe him_…" She said, as Hinata walked up to Naruto. "I owe him more than I can ever repay for saving my little girl…"

Hinata reached her hand out to her friend's cheek, brushing away her kidnapper's blood, which flaked away easily. _It was dry_… "Hikari-sama!" one of the Hyuuga medics yelled, pulling Hinata's mother a short distance away. "How long were you in direct contact with the Kyuubi boy?"

As this happened, Hiashi watched his daughter and her best friend as she brushed off more of the assailant's blood. "My hero…" She said, hugging him tightly. Naruto looked confused for a moment, before returning the gesture. Hiashi almost smiled then. _Almost_…

"Come on you two…" Hinata's mother said. "Let's get you two cleaned up…"

---

After a few minutes, the three were at Hikari's private bath. Or rather, the clan head's private bath, which she often requisitioned from her husband… "B-but… she's a girl!" Naruto said as Hinata's mother undid the young girl's yukata.

"So then we'll wash the cooties off of her." Hikari chuckled. "It's okay for little kids like you to bathe together…"

"B-but!" Naruto started, until he saw Hikari undo Hinata's training panties, and then he was just… _confused_. "But… Hinata doesn't… what's wrong with Hinata?"

"Nothing's wrong…" The woman chuckled. "Hinata's a girl, and you're a boy. You both have different bodies."

"But… why?" Naruto asked, as Hikari started taking off his bloody, slightly torn clothes and underwear.

"Curious, aren't you?" She asked in return. "I'll tell the _both _of you when you're older, okay?"

The two kids both nodded as she lifted Naruto into the tub. Right before they decided this was a perfect opportunity for a splash-fight…

* * *

WHOOO!!! First chapter! 

Finally done… next chapter is the last one before they get to the academy, and depending on how that one writes out, it may also be the chapter they're split into Genin cells...

Anyway, same rules apply for flames in this story as all my others, if there's no point to it, I'll make sure people make fun of you for it. Otherwise, review away! (It helps keep the writer's block at bay…)


	2. Crimson Salvation

Yeah, I know, I haven't been updating as rapidly as most of you have come to know me for, but that's all the fault of my damned writer's block. Ch3 is on the way... it just might take a day or three...

* * *

(Roughly one and a half years later)

"I hope it's a baby brother…" Hinata muttered for the tenth time that month, as if saying it would change the fact that Hikari knew it was a girl; she just didn't want to break her daughter's heart… She was so set on a baby _brother _for some reason… probably hoping that if it was a boy, it'd turn out like Naruto.

"If you keep saying that, it's gonna wind up a girl…" Naruto muttered. Hikari chuckled at that…

"So, Hokage-sama… what brings you here today?" She asked.

"As you know… Naruto is four years old now. Nearly five…" Sarutobi said solemnly.

"And you're worried that Naruto won't have anywhere to go once he's out of your care…" Hikari finished, at which Sarutobi nodded. Naruto was nearly too old for the old man to take care of, and both were worried that the local orphanages wouldn't take him, or worse, take him in and treat him worse than dirt…

"I was wondering…"

"…If Naruto could stay with us, here at the Hyuuga compound?" Hikari asked.

"So the rumors are true, you _can_ read minds…" Sarutobi chuckled.

"Ohh, I don't think there are any rumors like- oh!" Hikari started, clutching her stomach. "She's been getting restless lately…"

"You have been feeling under the weather… are you sure you don't want to induce labor now, instead of risk your health in childbirth?" Sarutobi asked.

"Oh, this is nothing… just some flu…"

"A flu even our best medics can't cure?"

"Exactly…" Hikari muttered. "Nothing to worry about…"

The Hokage decided it would be best to change the subject, and so he asked; "Have you decided what to name her?"

"I've been thinking about… Hanabi." She said, gently rubbing her stomach.

"That's a good name…" Sarutobi said, in that way only an older father can.

"And if it's a boy?" Hizashi asked, winking to Hinata.

When Kumo discovered what happened to their ambassador, their council was furious, and demanded Naruto be turned over to them for trial, dead or alive. Konoha's council decided unilaterally that they would never turn over the Kyuubi to Kumogakure. It was a fierce legal battle, but eventually, Konoha won, and the trial was held in the Hokage tower. Fortunately, the murder was ruled as self-defense.

"If it's a _boy_, I'll let Hiashi handle the name." Hikari said, adding with a jump; "My, she sure is restless today…"

"Oh well, you know how children these days can be…" Sarutobi chuckled. "So, about Naruto…"

Hizashi stepped forward. "I don't see what problem there would be, unless my brother has a say in-"

"_Sarutobi_!" Hikari said suddenly, looking down. Whenever anyone said the old man's name outright, it was always bad. And this was no exception. As he made to ask what was wrong, she interrupted him. "I need to get to the clinic, _now_."

"Hizashi, Get your brother!" Sarutobi yelled, helping Hikari to the Hyuuga medical clinic. Quite a few of the medical personnel at Konoha General Hospital refer to the Hyuuga clinic as nothing more than a 'glorified waiting room', only good for scrapes and bruises, but it was currently the best place to go.

"Hokage-sama, what's wrong with mommy?" Hinata cried as she and Naruto followed them to the clinic.

"We'll talk when we get there Hinata…" The old man replied.

---

The Hyuuga clan head was sitting in his private study, going over what appeared to be several very official-looking documents. However, most people wouldn't notice that his Byakugan was active, the slight tinge of pink to his cheeks, or the small orange book he held open under his desk.

"_Hiashi!_" His twin brother yelled, opening the sliding door as he himself was still sliding to a halt.

"Such disrespect… not even using an honori-" Hiashi started, but shot out of his seat when he heard his brother's next words.

"_Hikari is going into labor!_"

---

While Hizashi was subsequently sent to Konoha's hospital to request medical aid, Hiashi ran to his wife, who was now sitting in a private ward while every Hyuuga medic fluttered around her in confusion.

"This makes no sense!" One of them said.

"The disease shouldn't have _done_ this!"

"We need to speak to Hokage-sama…"

---

"Is mommy going to be okay?" Hinata asked.

"She'll be fine… she's just having the baby a little early." Sarutobi reassured her. "This happens all the time…"

"Hokage-sama?" One of the medics asked, walking out of the room.

"Yes?" Sarutobi answered.

"We have… a problem…" He said, looking down to the worried expression enveloping Hinata.

Sarutobi looked at the man solemnly before turning to the young blonde at his side. "I have a job for you, Naruto… Stay with Hinata and keep her company." He leaned in so only Naruto could hear his next words. "Cheer her up, ne?" As Naruto nodded and walked Hinata outside to play on the grass, Sarutobi turned to the medic. "What happened?"

His tone had changed so thoroughly in such a short time, the medic was stunned for a moment. "Hi-Hikari-sama… her illness is causing the premature birth, but we don't know why. Also, there's another matter me and the other medics wanted to discuss…"

Just then, Hiashi burst into the room, and through into his wife's private room. Activating his Byakugan, he reeled back slightly. "W-what is this red chakra?"

"Red chakra?" Sarutobi asked.

"Y-yes… The disease turned out to be, upon closer inspection, directly related to her chakra tunnels. Tainting the chakra and slowly destroying the internal organs…" The same medic explained.

"But what does this have to do with the damned red chakra!?" Hiashi roared, causing the man to flinch and cower slightly.

"W-we-well… uhm… it appears that a small… minute portion of the Kyuubi's chakra passed into Hikari-sama during the incident almost two years ago, and has lain dormant in her system…" Hiashi looked as if he were about to tear the man asunder as he continued wearily; "The Kyuubi chakra is interacting with the disease somehow, but we have yet to ascertain how or why…" By the end of this explanation, the man was literally cowering in a corner of the room under Hiashi's glare.

"So…" Hiashi said finally, his voice resonant with spite and rage. "This is the fox brat's fault…"

As the enraged Hyuuga turned to leave the room, Sarutobi grabbed his shoulder. "If you intend to harm the boy in any way, I will use everything at my disposal as the Hokage of Konohagakure to stop you." Sarutobi said, and as if on cue, four ANBU appeared in the waiting room between Hikari's room and the door Naruto and Hinata had exited through. Hiashi stormed into the waiting room, planting himself firmly into one of the chairs. "Thank you, Itachi…" Sarutobi said; the only ANBU without a mask giving a curt nod as the Hokage sat down beside the still-fuming Hiashi.

---

In light of Hikari's condition, Hizashi allowed Naruto and Hinata to stay with his son Neji. Interestingly enough, despite only knowing the boy for a little over a year, Naruto had already managed to _befriend _the depressing little Hyuuga boy. As such, Neji had no problem with it either, having become much more open with and closer to his cousin Hinata since he'd known Naruto.

The next morning, Hinata was introduced to her little sister, Hanabi, who was currently sleeping in her incubator. Earlier that morning, several doctors and medics from Konoha General Hospital arrived to aid in this delicate situation. Sarutobi and Hiashi were currently discussing Hikari's condition with one of the resident doctors from the NICU.

"It turns out the disease was the cause of Hanabi's premature birth. Not only was it affecting just her internal organs, but all of her bodily systems to some degree." The man said. "But, as soon as it tried to attack Hanabi in the same manner as her internal organs, the dormant chakra started to wipe out the disease, and the resulting internal stress must have caused this. We're not sure _exactly_ why the dormant chakra didn't go to work immediately, or even dissipate before now, but my theory is that she subconsciously called on it to stave off the disease…"

"Subconsciously?" Hiashi asked.

"Yes." The man answered. "Sheer maternal instinct… a mother will protect her child any way she can, even with something she doesn't know she has…"

The three looked over to Hikari, who was sleeping in a bed beside her newborn daughter. "So, how is she doing?" Sarutobi asked.

"Well, we're not completely sure if the disease is gone, but we can't find any trace of it, or the Kyuubi's chakra anywhere in her system." The doctor answered. "But, I won't lie to you, this may very well leave her crippled, at least as far as being a shinobi goes… there's just no telling yet how extensive the damage to her chakra tunnels is…"

Hiashi sighed. "…And Hanabi?"

"We're going to transport her to the general hospital's NICU, where we're better equipped to care for her. We'll need to keep her there at least a week, to make sure her bodily systems function properly as well as make sure she doesn't have the same disease her mother had…"

"You're saying my daughter might die from something just after she's been born?" Hiashi asked, a hint of anger to his tone.

"Well, there are a lot of complications with premature births that could make that a moot point… One thing's certain though, if it weren't for the Kyu- I mean, Naruto… Hikari-sama and Hanabi-chan would probably have both died due to the disease, although Hanabi-chan may very well have survived…"

Sarutobi smiled. Naruto was already saving lives at his age, even if he didn't know it… Hinata then walked over to her father, Naruto and Neji following close behind. "Daddy, can I have a little brother next?"

Sarutobi let out a hearty laugh as Hiashi looked down at his daughter with an embarrassed, shocked, and almost pained look to him.

* * *

No, Hizashi did not die in this, since Naruto was prosecuted instead of Hiashi.

If you're wondering how Naruto got out of the trial without being executed, not only was he a child, but the ruling required a non-biased jurisdiction. The only option being someone who knew nothing of Naruto being the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki. (Hard as it was to find someone like that in Konoha, they did)

Also, if you're wondering why Itachi isn't all evil yet, I was under the impression that the Uchiha massacre occurred when Sasuke was around six or seven years old. Since he's five now, it hasn't happened yet.

NICU – Almost all pediatric hospitals and most general hospitals have a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) specifically designed to handle premature births. (I bet Konoha's no different) since Hanabi was born a good 3-4 weeks ahead of schedule, she needs this sort of special care to ensure her health. (She's still at high risk for a whole mess of trouble though)


	3. The Resealing

Okay, new chapter. I feel good about this one…

In response to a review for chapter 2, I'd like to put this in where everyone can see it… Yes, this is _strictly _Naru/Hina. In fact, I asked my friend (The same one who edits my fics, I think that's called being a beta… Anyway, me and him co-author a couple stories) if I should make it a NaruHarem, and he scolded me for it…

So yeah, just Naruto and Hinata… Might have some pairings for other characters (In fact, I'm open to suggestions if anyone has any…) but as far as Naruto goes, he's a one-woman-man in this fic. (I _was_ thinking about having Naruto date Ino a bit before realizing his feelings for Hinata, but I scrapped the idea)

Okay… "Normal Speech" - **"Demon Speech" - **_'Talking in head' _-_**'Demon talking in head' **_-_Normal Thinking _-_**Demon Thinking **_

I personally think that even if Naruto and Kyuubi _could _talk to each other normally, then they would both have their own little part of Naruto's head where the other can't hear them… Basically, they're not TRYING to talk to each other then…

Now all I need to do is remember all this _myself_… oi…

* * *

Naruto had been living in the Hyuuga Compound for the past three years, having moved into a slightly reclusive room (just far enough away from Hiashi's daughters for him to feel safe having him there) soon after Hanabi's birth. Hanabi was surprisingly healthy, considering that she was born prematurely. Aside from the fact that her lungs were slightly underdeveloped, she was in perfect health, and even that was corrected before the week the medics had requested to keep her was over. She showed no signs of the disease that afflicted her mother, and much like her sister, had learned to speak by the age of two. (That is to say, she was able to form basic sentences at that age) Of course, this soon proved to be a problem, as Hanabi sided with Hinata in her nigh-constant requests (and occasionally demands) for a little brother. 

Eventually, their parents simply gave in, and tried to have another child; which had been born around eight months ago. Hinata and Hanabi were ecstatic when they found out they now had a little brother, just like they wanted. Hikari and Hiashi however, thoroughly protested having any more children. Three were enough…

Now, Naruto and Hinata were off to their first day at the academy. Hikari was thrilled, Hanabi was jealous, Hiashi was indifferent, and Hiatari was at the age where he just went along with whatever emotion his mother felt. In this case, he cooed happily in her arms. Neji and Hizashi were there too, Neji had volunteered to show them around before they inevitably got lost. (Neji wouldn't admit it, but he spent a good portion of his first day using his Byakugan to find his way around the place…) Hizashi on the other hand, glowed with pride, which was what his brother should have been doing then, but honestly, Hizashi was proud enough for both of them…

As the three walked down the street away from the Hyuuga Compound, Hiashi asked; "Are you sure they'll be alright?"

Hikari smiled. "Don't worry; I've made some arrangements…" She said, as Hiatari giggled in her arms.

---

(Almost two weeks earlier)

Hikari was sitting in the waiting room to see the Hokage. Sarutobi had said '_If it has to do with Naruto, I have no problem with you coming to me directly…_' And this had to do with Naruto…

When she'd finally been let in to see him, Sarutobi asked; "So, Hikari… I hear you have something to discuss with me regarding Naruto?"

"Erm… yes, Hokage-sama… but it has to do with both Hinata _and_ Naruto…" She said, fidgeting slightly. She was a little embarrassed to be asking the Hokage for something so trivial… "I was hoping you could make sure they were in the same class at the academy…" Sarutobi smiled as she continued. "Hinata is open and expressive with Naruto, Neji and Hanabi; but she's still far too timid and reclusive when it comes to meeting new people…"

"And Naruto is great at meeting new people." Sarutobi finished her sentence. "Don't worry, Hikari… I had already planned for them to be in the same class."

Hikari smiled and bowed, turning to the door as she thanked the old man repeatedly.

---

(Present - Konoha Academy)

"Wow… you sure do know a lot about this place, Neji…" Naruto muttered as he looked around, only half paying attention to the older boy. Instead, he was busy trying to keep Hinata from bolting out the nearest exit, tightly holding her hand as he led her through the halls.

Eventually, the three came upon a door, which Neji opened. "And this; should be your room…" He said.

Naruto led Hinata into the room as Neji waved and walked down the hall. They were a few minutes early, and several of the other students had already arrived. Naruto had seen each of them around town at least once before… The Uchiha boy, sitting in the front-left corner, trying to blend into the wall as a blonde and pink pair eyed him curiously from afar. An Inuzuka boy laughed while playing with his dog, the Nara boy was asleep in his seat, and then there was… "OI!" Naruto yelled; "You're an Aburame kid, right?" At Shino's barely audible grunt, Naruto continued. "I love bugs! I wanted to start a bug collection, but Hikari said it wasn't nice, so I just started _bug-watching _instead! Bugs. Are. AWESOME!!!"

Despite all of his self-training, Shino was lucky he wore the standard Aburame coat today, as he couldn't seem to keep from smirking. Upon seeing there was another girl in the class, the pair previously eyeing the Uchiha swooped in to drag Hinata off to a trio of seats. "So, what's your name?" The blonde asked.

"Hi-Hinata…" She mumbled.

"Hinata, huh? That's a pretty name… I'm Ino, and this is Sakura."

"So, who's your boyfriend?" Sakura asked playfully. Hinata just squeaked and blushed in response.

"Come on, you two were _holding hands_ when you came in…" Ino added. Hinata responded how she always seemed to under pressure from people she didn't know… she tried her best to curl into a ball and hope it'd all just go away…

"Well? We're talking to you…" Sakura said, as Naruto came up behind her.

"Heheh… sorry about Hina-chan… She's just really shy." Naruto chuckled.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata said, before latching herself onto his arm again.

"Heh, hey Hinata…" Naruto muttered. Then, other children began filing into the room, followed by their new teacher.

"Hello class, my name is Umino Iruka, but you can call me Iruka-sensei." He said, writing his name on the board. "I am one of your two teachers, my assistant, Mizuki, will be joining us later in the week."

As the chatter between the students died down, Naruto muttered; "This guy's a little weird, huh?" While standing between Kiba and Shino, who both gave him curious looks. Hinata had taken it upon herself to start playing with Kiba's dog, Akamaru.

"Now, go ahead and find a chair, I personally don't believe in assigned seating." Iruka said, and after each had done so, continued. "Now, before I get to know each of you, do you have any questions about me?"

Naruto, who was currently seated between Hinata and Shino, raised his hand, and bluntly asked; "Where did you get that scar?"

Iruka chuckled. He knew that was going to be one of the first three questions, at least. "That's a story for another day… Anyone else?"

---

The rest of the morning was interesting enough… The questions continued with topics like; 'What rank are you?' 'What kind of missions have you done?' and 'Why do you have pineapple-hair?' The last of these having been asked by either Sakura or Ino, no one could tell as they were then fighting over the two seats next to Sasuke. Iruka then had the entire class introduce themselves, which went smoothly until it was Hinata's turn. Instead, Naruto introduced her to the class.

That was about all they had time for before lunch. Not surprisingly, everyone chose to eat outside when they were given the option to do so. Iruka seemed nice. A little _too_ nice… Naruto decided he'd find out whether he was really a teacher or some sort of shinobi wannabe…

He never got the chance, however. Naruto sat at a table outside, along with his new friends; Shino and Kiba (and Akamaru, of course) as well as Hinata's new 'friends' Ino and Sakura, with Hinata sitting just to his right, refusing to part with him.

Sasuke was just minding his own business, for the most part, walking around while eating a sandwich. Of course, he was walking because he wanted to stay ahead of the small crowd of girls that had begun to follow him around. When they drew near, however, Hinata curled herself as tightly into Naruto as she could. She was already getting used to the few people she was sitting with, but she still hated crowds…

Sasuke saw this, and immediately swallowed the half-chewed bite in his mouth. "You're afraid of other _kids_? You know, my family always said the Hyuuga were weak, but you're just pathetic…" He said, before he began to walk away again.

Naruto stood up, nearly dragging Hinata up by her death-grip as he glared down at his food. "Did he just… _insult_ Hinata?" He asked.

"Yup… I think he did." Kiba chimed.

Naruto walked away from the table, shaking his arm free from Hinata's grasp as he caught up to Sasuke. When he was ten feet behind him, he yelled; "Don't you _ever_ talk about Hinata that way!"

The raven-haired boy turned smugly, as if it wasn't worth it to give heed to the violent tone in the blonde's voice. "You've seen it for yourself. She's _weak_. And by the look of her, she's going to _STAY_ weak. She's just not fit to be a shinobi." As he turned away, Sasuke added; "So why don't you just run back to your little _girlfriend_ and play dolls or something… It's not like either of you'll wind up good for much else, _dobe_."

Sasuke took another bite of his sandwich as he resumed his walk, several of the girls following him chuckled as they passed Naruto. Something in the boy just _snapped_. Dashing forward with stealth and speed befitting an apprentice shinobi, Naruto leapt into the air, spinning as he brought his foot down on the base of Sasuke's skull.

After flying (and rolling) several feet, Sasuke immediately shot into a curled sitting position, holding the back of his head while air hissed through his teeth as he inhaled. Everyone seemed to have a different reaction to what had just transpired; Sasuke's 'fangirls' were standing stock-still with looks of _horror_ on their faces, Hinata was curling into a ball, biting her thumb as she watched her childhood friend fight for her honor, Kiba was actually _cheering them on_, Shino sighed as he slowly shook his head, and Ino and Sakura were currently swearing up a storm at the blonde's blatant disregard for the safety of 'their Sasuke-kun'.

The Uchiha boy was soon to his feet, glaring at Naruto with eyes that promised pain. The battle was over before it even started. If Sasuke had recognized Naruto's stance, he would've known better than to charge blindly into battle. In the five seconds between Sasuke's first punch, and Naruto catching his kick, the Uchiha hadn't managed to land a single blow on the boy. Much to the contrary, Naruto seemed to dodge most of the blows with relative ease, only having to block twice (including the aforementioned kick) Needless to say, Sasuke wasn't expecting to be flung over ten feet with a palm-strike to his stomach.

As Naruto had already turned to walk back to his friends and his food, he didn't see Sasuke pulling himself up on all-fours, coughing up blood. Kiba was the first to speak (aside from Ino and Sakura, who were still yelling) "Dude… _you… are… AWESOME_!!!"

Shino sighed and shook his head again, stating a single word; "Repercussions…"

Hinata was silent as she watched Iruka and several teachers she didn't know tend to Sasuke. After telling the others to get him to the nurse, Iruka walked over and grabbed Naruto by the back of his collar, and _dragged_ him away into the academy building. Naruto did little else than wear an irritated look on his face as he tried to fit the last of the food he'd grabbed into his mouth. It was almost like he _expected_ to be punished…

'_**You done it now, boy…'**_A vast, echoic voice sighed.

'_Yeah…_' Naruto thought. '_Wait a second… I didn't think that, and I don't have an imaginary friend… so am I crazy?_'

The voice cursed under its breath. The boy shouldn't be able to hear him yet… _**'Uhh… No. You're perfectly sane kid… I'm… your conscience!'**_ The Kyuubi said, a plan swiftly forming in his mind. Outside the realm of Naruto's perception, the demon thought; _**If I'm nice to the kid, I can trick him into doing anything I want him to!**_

'_But I thought having a little voice in your head telling you right from wrong was just a metaphor…' _Naruto retorted.

'_**You're special kid…' **_Kyuubi said. Every child likes thinking they're special, especially if there's some sort of proof…

---

"Why would you do that Naruto?" Iruka asked. They were currently in one of three uncomfortably small rooms used to punish '_really_ bad seeds' in solitary detention. Iruka spent his share of time in here, about five hours was enough to make sure he never wound up back here again… And Naruto had just spent the last three hours of class in here. Several people had been called in, including Sarutobi and Hikari, who were standing out in the hall without Naruto knowing they were there.

"I had to teach him a lesson. After all, he insulted my Hinata…" Naruto said coldly, staring at the floor.

"'Your' Hinata?" Iruka asked curiously, as Hikari and Sarutobi smiled out in the hallway.

Realizing what he'd just said, Naruto's eyes went wide, and he decided if nothing else, he couldn't make it sound any _worse_… or so he thought. "_YES! MY Hinata! You got a problem with that!?_"

The first reaction Hikari, Sarutobi and Iruka had to this was shock. This went far beyond preserving her honor. It almost seemed to border on obsession… And that thought scared them. "Naruto…" Iruka started, only to be cut off.

"He hurt Hinata's feelings, so _I hurt HIM_." Naruto stated firmly. "I won't let _anyone_ hurt Hinata, in _any _way _WHATSOEVER!_" Naruto was now standing, having backed Iruka into a corner, flailing his arms as he exclaimed.

Everyone seemed relieved when a new conclusion surfaced. He wasn't obsessed with _Hinata_, he was obsessed with her _safety_. Which made some sense after Hinata's attempted kidnapping five years ago… He'd killed a man to keep her safe, and now everyone there was sure he'd do so again in a heartbeat.

Iruka chuckled. "Okay, Naruto… just, tone it down a bit, alright? It's all well and good that you want to protect your friend, but you're not allowed to hurt the other students, do you understand?" Naruto looked to the floor for a moment before firmly nodding. "Good, then let's get something to eat… I'm sure you're hungry, and there are a few other people here to see you that would agree with me…"

---

(Approximately one and one-half years later)

"Hokage-sama!" Hizashi yelled, bursting into Sarutobi's office. Before the old man could ask what was happening, he was interrupted. "It's about Naruto…" Hizashi continued, panting slightly. He'd obviously sprinted the entire distance here.

Immediately, Hizashi handed the aged Hokage a clipboard, attached to which were several papers of varying size. Once Sarutobi had looked the entire thing through, he wore a worried, yet accepting expression. He knew _something _was bound to have gone wrong… "I shall try to contact specialists to deal with the problems…" Hizashi nodded as Sarutobi spoke. "The 'incident' six years ago… why does everything seem to lead back to that...?"

In the end, it took a total of two weeks to assemble the people Sarutobi thought were best to handle the situation… Yuuhi Kurenai, being a longtime friend of Hikari's, was an obvious choice for one of the tasks. His students Jiraiya and Tsunade, though neither of them particularly wanted much of anything to do with it for completely different reasons… Tsunade's student, Shizune, who refused to be left out of something like this, and finally Iruka, having heard about what was going on, volunteered to help whether the others wanted him to or not. These five people, along with Hikari and Hizashi, were standing in Sarutobi's office, staring at the old man behind his desk.

"I assume you all know that we are here to discuss a particular problem involving Uzumaki Naruto… or more specifically, the Kyuubi sealed inside of him." Sarutobi said solemnly. "The sad truth is that the seal holding the Kyuubi within Naruto has been weakening for the past six years." Aside from Hikari and Hizashi, who already knew this, everyone gasped at what the old man said.

"That is impossible, and you know it!" Jiraiya said suddenly.

Sarutobi nodded. "Yes, it should be… The Shiki Fuujin used to seal the Kyuubi is flawless, _IF_ it is given time to properly set. Approximately five to seven years…"

"However…" Hikari said, "A little over six years ago, only three years after the sealing, Naruto tapped into the Kyuubi's chakra in order to save my daughter…"

"Since the seal was still unstable, it was unable to properly attune itself to both Naruto _and_ the Kyuubi." Hizashi stated.

"Which is why _you_ are here, Jiraiya…" Sarutobi said. "You are one of the greatest seal-masters I have ever known. You are to either devise a method of _repairing _the Shiki Fuujin, or creating a tertiary seal to stabilize the two the Yondaime put in place."

"And what about…" Tsunade started, but the old man wasn't finished.

"Kurenai, it has been confirmed that Naruto has been in communication with the Kyuubi for at least a year due to the seal's degradation." Another gasp ran through most of the room, save the two Hyuuga. "You are to instruct the boy in meditation techniques to block out his 'imaginary friend'. If possible, I would prefer he not know about the Kyuubi yet, if at all. However, it seems impossibly unlikely this current turn of events will allow this."

"Why not-" Kurenai started.

"…Have a Yamanaka teach him?" Sarutobi finished her sentence, and she nodded. "Because, simply, you have known him through Hikari for several years, as such, he is both familiar with, and _comfortable_ around you."

Kurenai nodded. "That makes sense… he is only nine after all…"

"Iruka, as you won't leave this subject to those I have _chosen _to help take part in this…" Iruka chuckled dryly as Sarutobi said this, scratching the back of his neck in a familiar fashion. "You will serve as emotional support, especially should Naruto find out about the Kyuubi." Iruka nodded sharply. "Tsunade and Shizune…" Sarutobi started, turning to his pupil and her apprentice. "You are to look into several… adverse side-effects in those close to Naruto." At a confused look from most in the room, Sarutobi clarified; "The Kyuubi's chakra has not been completely contained within the seal these past six years. As such, otherwise unexplainable phenomena in the physiology of those close to him have appeared over time…"

As Sarutobi gave the clipboard he'd received two weeks prior to Tsunade, she was shocked. "Impossible…"

"Yes…" The old man continued. "The girl, Hanabi, has almost literally _no immune system_. Yet she hasn't been sick a day in her life. Her older sister, Hinata, has shown an interesting mutation in her Byakugan…" Sarutobi motioned for her mother to explain.

"Hinata…" Hikari started, unsure how exactly to describe it properly. "While most Hyuuga can only see tenketsu and chakra tunnels, Hinata has also shown the ability to see the cardiovascular, muscular, and nervous systems…"

"Meaning…" Tsunade started.

"That with the proper training, she could very well surpass even _your _medical expertise…" Sarutobi added, once more finishing his student's sentence.

"We don't really know of any more abnormalities, which is what you'd be checking for… finding the ones we haven't already, and deciding what we should do about the ones we _have_ found." Hikari said.

"So now, you each know what to do… I'll let you decide how to go about it." Sarutobi said, essentially dismissing the group.

Out in the hallway, Iruka went with Jiraiya to plan, Tsunade left by herself to get drunk and Hizashi was late for training with Neji. This of course left Hikari, Kurenai and Shizune to their own devices. "So, how have the kids been lately? Any news on Hinata and Naruto?" Kurenai asked playfully.

Hikari giggled as she pulled Kurenai and Shizune into a little circle to try and keep others from overhearing. "Well… about a month ago, I caught the two of them '_experimenting_' with each other, so I decided to give them 'The Talk' right then and there!" Hikari said, still giggling like a schoolgirl. "You should've seen their faces! They _still _can't look each other in the eye… I've never _seen _either of them so red!"

---

Kurenai was the first to approach Naruto. Moreover, she hid her initial intentions behind 'chakra control lessons'. Once she'd found Naruto, she led him into a fair-sized room. He was expecting to be alone, however.

In a neat little row were Hikari's three by age; Hinata, Hanabi and Hiatari, all looking up at him curiously. A split second later, Naruto and Hinata's eyes met, and they immediately looked away from each other, blushing profusely. Neji was also there, already seated in a comfortable fashion, trying to meditate. The first thing that Naruto thought when he saw him, however, was that Neji was probably trying to pump enough chakra into his butt to float…

"Aww you two…" Kurenai cut in. "Naruto, Hinata… you really shouldn't be embarrassed about it. It's a perfectly natural thing to do at your age…" This, of course, only made them glow an even brighter shade of red…

It didn't take long for Neji to deduce what Kurenai was talking about. Between her words and the way Naruto and Hinata were, and _had been_ acting for a while, the Hyuuga boy soon found himself in a fit of laughter.

---

Jiraiya was next. He took Naruto out to a woody stream near the outskirts of Konoha. A beautiful place, beams of light shooting through the treetops, hundreds of moss-covered trees blocking out the rest of the world, and a crystalline stream running through it all…

Naruto was having trouble coming to terms with the fact that this was so close to home… it looked like a whole other world. "You know, we're not out here to sightsee…" Jiraiya said. "I should be out doing _research_, but instead I'm taking care of you…"

"Hey! It's not like I _asked_ you to be here old man!" Naruto yelled.

"Just take your shirt off…"

"_What!?_"

"There should be markings on your stomach. I need to see them…" Jiraiya said, irritation flooding his voice.

"Oh… well… yeah, sure." Naruto said, taking his jacket off and lifting up his shirt.

Jiraiya kneeled down so the seal was at eye level. _Sarutobi-sensei was right…_ He thought. _It should only show when he's molding chakra, but here it is, plain as day…_

"So, what're you lookin' at?" Naruto asked.

"How long has this been here?" Jiraiya asked, looking up at the boy as he pointed to the seal.

"For as long as I can remember… why?"

"Do you know what this is, by any chance?" Jiraiya asked slyly.

"Well… I'm pretty sure it's a tattoo… might be some family crest? I never knew my folks… but it looks more like a seal of some kind. What for I dunno, I mean… seals are there to hold something back, right?" Naruto's words left Jiraiya dumbfounded. The kid knew it was a seal, or assumed as much…

_Or to hold something in…_ Jiraiya thought, before shaking his head to rid himself of his stupor. "Well, you're right. It _does_ look like a seal, and I've never heard of a family crest tattooed on the stomach… So…" Jiraiya's tone dropped to a dark and serious note, which held a surprising hint of curiosity. "Have you ever heard of something so powerful it needs to be sealed away into a person?"

---

Jiraiya spent the next half hour conveying the entirety of his knowledge of the nine Biju in order, followed by a recital of the exact happenings of the night of the Kyuubi's sealing, never touching on the fact that the boy in the story was Naruto. The old pervert was hoping Naruto would figure that out on his own… "So, what do you think of _that_?" Jiraiya asked.

"Wow…" Naruto said suddenly. "Sucks to be him…"

Jiraiya felt the sudden urge to smash his face into the ground. This boy was dense. Abnormally so. "How the hell aren't you getting what I meant?" The Toad Sage asked, more than simply frustrated.

"Oh, I didn't mean me… I meant Kyuubi." Naruto said, pointing to the seal on his stomach. "All I eat is ramen, rice, bread and things like that… I don't envy _ANYTHING_ that lives down there…"

Now it was clear… the boy had said it simply as a means to break the tension. Jiraiya had to admit, this kid was a lot more cunning than he let on… "So then… Now that you know who your… _guest_ is, I bet you want to know why I told you in the first place?"

"Because the seal's failing…" Naruto said bluntly.

This kid was smart. Jiraiya hated smart kids. They had a bad habit of making him look stupid… "How the fuck…?"

"I've been hearing _it_ talk to me for the past year-and-a-half. It keeps getting louder, and I keep getting stronger." Jiraiya was, once again, dumbstruck. He hated it when kids these days seemed to know everything… it made him feel obsolete. "So, after hearing that, it all fell into place. The voice, the spite, the fact that all I had to do was act stupid and everyone just let themselves act however they wanted without giving a damn about right and wrong…"

Now this brat was just getting irritating… "So you were _pretending_ to be all loud and obnoxious… just so people would _think _you were an idiot?" Jiraiya asked.

"Well, yes and no… I really _do_ like being loud and obnoxious, I just know when to be quiet too, although I don't usually show it." Naruto said, before chuckling. "Spend an hour with Hiashi and you _LEARN_ to shut up…"

Jiraiya couldn't help but smile, if only a little. "So, now that you know all about the seal, and what it's keeping in… you want me to fix it?"

Naruto shrugged. "With what little research I've done into seals, I really can't say what'd happen with a botched seal of this magnitude… so, tell me, what is most likely going to happen if you _don't _fix it?" At the worried look Jiraiya gave him, Naruto yelled; "And don't sugarcoat it just because I'm a _kid_ dammit!"

Jiraiya chuckled. "Nine years old and already trying to be a seal master? Damn… the nostalgia is getting to be too much…" Naruto gave him a confused look, and Jiraiya clarified. "You're too damn much like your father, kid…" Jiraiya mentally cursed. _DAMMIT! By Kami, I could've said 'my former pupil' or even 'Yondaime' would've been better than what I said... this is going to take a lot of explaining..._

"You… you knew my father?" Naruto asked, caught in a shocked stupor.

"And your mother, kid…" Jiraiya said, sadly. "I was one of the few people to even know who your mother _was_…"

"So!? Who were they!?" Naruto yelled.

"I can't tell you. Hell, I shouldn't have said anything about your dad in the first place…" Jiraiya said in the same sad tone. "But anyway, you wanted to know what was going to happen to you, right?"

Naruto nodded. "Yes. So now pick a topic and _stick to it dammit!_"

Jiraiya sighed. "Well, I'd say you've got about a decade before your body just gives out or explodes, given you don't go insane and get yourself killed by then…"

Naruto froze. He _did _tell the old man not to sugarcoat it… but… '_Explode_'? He _had _to be kidding… right? "E-yeah… sure… fix the seal…"

"I thought so…" Jiraiya said, chuckling as he brought out a scroll, a brush, and ink. "Now, I'm going to make a copy of the seal so I won't need _you _there for all my research, okay? Now, didn't I tell you to just take the shirt _off_?" Naruto looked down, realizing he'd been holding his shirt up the entire time.

---

Every afternoon, Iruka took Naruto to Ichiraku's for dinner (Or on some days, lunch, since he couldn't make it at dinner-time) where they'd talk about anything and everything. After Naruto told Kurenai he knew _exactly_ what was in him, she explained the true purpose of their exercises. Tsunade and Shizune examined everyone who had any more than minimal contact with Naruto, including his entire class, and found no new abnormal factors. Naruto also redoubled his research in both the public and private Hyuuga libraries regarding seals, in an attempt to be of use to Jiraiya in repairing the Kyuubi's seal.

It was around four months later that Jiraiya, along with Sarutobi and Naruto's help, finished designing a viable tertiary seal. In all honesty, repairing the Shiki Fuujin would have been nearly impossible for anyone save the Yondaime himself…

During the time it took to devise the seal, Naruto had learned to block out the Kyuubi, regained the ability to act normally around Hinata, and learned basic medical jutsu alongside her under Tsunade and Shizune's tutelage. Shizune even convinced Tsunade to remain in Konoha to complete Hinata's training…

On the day of 'the resealing' as Jiraiya was calling it, he and Naruto were in a dark room underneath the Hokage Tower, surrounded by several people. Sarutobi, Hikari, Hiashi and Hizashi were there, as well as Tsunade and two ANBU squads should anything go wrong, and the elder Ino-Shika-Cho trio (Yamanaka Inoichi, Nara Shikaku, and Akimichi Choza) who'd overheard talk about it and insisted they take part. (Or rather, Inoichi and Choza were dead-set on attending, while Shikaku was dragged along by his old teammates)

"Naruto, you ready?" Jiraiya asked, double-checking the brushed ink symbols on his right arm.

"As ready as I'm gonna be…" The blonde boy replied. He was currently shirtless, bracing himself against what appeared to be a T-shaped piece of woodwork, built specifically for this purpose.

Around the Kyuubi's seal were six swirled-flame-shaped points drawn outward. Before anyone had time to contemplate the sealing, Jiraiya had already slammed his palm into Naruto's stomach. "_YOUKI FUUIN!!!_"

The ink on Jiraiya's arm wound onto Naruto's stomach, winding around the six flame-points before converging on the Shiki Fuujin and encircling it. After the seal had been completed, a perfect ring of symbols lay between the Kyuubi's seal and the six flames. The wood had splintered and cracked under Naruto's grip, especially noticeable when he fell to his knees. "Jiraiya… sensei…" Naruto muttered as the Shiki Fuujin slowly faded, followed by the Youki Fuuin.

"Yeah, kid?" The perverted Sannin asked.

"That hurt… a lot worse than you said it would…" Naruto muttered as he lost consciousness.

* * *

Wow… this chapter really shot out, huh? It just seemed to write itself… Well, I'll probably continue on through another chapter or two, since I've been thinking them through lately, and I want to get my ideas down before I forget them… 

Also, it saddens me to say so, but this fic'll probably take a backseat to another one; which may actually be a good thing. Currently, SoAS (the other fic) is somewhere between one third or half finished already. I already have the bigger points in it figured out, as well as the max. chapters I'm wanting to put into it. TBH (this fic) is a LOT more lenient in these regards. I have no idea how many chapters will be in it, and I have no idea how I'll END it. So, just be patient. In a month or so, when I finish SoAS, chapters for TBH should come pretty easily…

(I make it a rule to only have two active fics at most, and since FoW (the OC fic which no one seems to like) is kinda… dying… It's probably gonna' go on hiatus until me and PK (PalookaLord) can get back into it)

Okay! Now, before you go harping on me all 'They wouldn't touch each other! They're just kids!!!' Honestly, yes. They are kids. Kids are curious. Thus, if one little kid is comfortable enough with another little kid, (especially of another gender) touching may very well ensue. In my fic, Hinata and Naruto are _VERY _comfortable around each other. Thus, neither would have any real problem getting naked or 'experimenting', at least before they realize (or are TOLD, as with 'The Talk') the implications of it. If they HADN'T gotten 'The Talk' when they did, they may very well have wound up 'friends with benefits' before getting into any sort of relationship.

Oh, and yes. Quite a few of the adults are conspiring to get them together.

By the way, in case you hadn't figured it out already, Naruto knows Jyuuken. Which isn't very surprising when you think about it… if anyone spent a good five or six years sparring with half a dozen Hyuuga (Neji, Hinata, Hanabi, Hiashi, Hizashi, and Hikari) then you'd learn a thing or two about their fighting style, with or without proper training. The fact of the matter though, is, after a few years, they just gave in and taught him the style. The biggest thing you need to know about Jyuuken is; _YOU DON'T NEED TO BE A HYUUGA TO USE IT. _All it is, is expelling chakra, which any shinobi can do. It takes extensive training to excel at it though, and you need the Byakugan _to use it to its fullest potential_. Naruto can't see tenketsu. He _can_ however, pump chakra into someone's gut and cause internal bleeding, hit their arm and damage muscle tissue, pump enough chakra into their heart to kill them, or scramble their brains with a palm to the forehead. Jyuuken isn't the ONLY fighting style Naruto learns, however, and by incorporating Jyuuken into other styles, he bypasses the need for the Byakugan completely.

Youki Fuuin – Youki means 'container' or 'vessel' while Fuuin means 'seal' or 'sealed'. I was considering calling it 'Assaku-Youki Fuuin' (Compressed Container Seal) however, I thought this name was too long.


	4. Tests of Transition

YEEEEAAAAAAAYUH!!!!

Now, I'm jumping ahead to about when the canon story starts. Naruto and Hinata are 12, Hanabi's 7, Hiatari's 4. (Just a reference…)

And… uhh… just so you know, the story name 'The Blonde Hyuuga' doesn't refer to Naruto and Hinata's kid… To be honest, I'm pretty sure any kid they have would wind up with Hyuuga-dominant genes. Byakugan, black hair, partially androgynous no matter the gender… Ahhh… the wonders of the Hyuuga…

'Then what the fuck does the title mean!?' you ask? Ohhhohoho… you'll have to read on to find out…

(Yeah, I really did laugh maniacally while I typed that… scary, huh?)

Now, I am happy to say that I am DAMN sure no one (or at least not MANY) people could've seen the team setup I've got planned coming… Kekeke…

Questions that came up on reviews that I think should be answered… Yes, Naruto can still access Kyuubi's chakra. This comes up next chapter. And although Hanabi's immune system is pretty much… not there… she's perfectly healthy due to the same reason Naruto is. Kyuubi's influence. If anything in this fic doesn't make sense, blame the fox… (That's what I do…) Also, deficiencies like the one I gave Hanabi aren't unheard of or uncommon in children who were born prematurely.

* * *

Naruto was sitting in his classroom alongside his fellow students… he'd just graduated from the academy two days ago, along with most of the class, however he was anything but happy… the night after he'd passed, He'd tricked Mizuki into revealing his dark intentions for Konoha and Naruto by agreeing to his farce of 'learning a Jounin level technique to jump straight to Chuunin'. He had to admit, Kage Bunshin kicked ass, but he spent a short while wondering if three hours of questioning the next day was worth it… Soon afterward he decided it was, and that was that. He had made the mistake of not informing Sarutobi-Sandaime of his plans, as well as using the scroll to bludgeon his former assistant-sensei's skull several times. It was tough enough convincing Ibiki he had a good reason for taking the scroll, let alone getting blood all over it… 

As soon as Iruka walked into the room holding a clipboard, however, Naruto's mood skyrocketed. He was a Genin, now, and that was one hell of a step towards becoming the Godaime… Now he'd get to find out his team and sensei. His mood couldn't be further from what it was five seconds prior.

"Okay… Now I'm going to list off team numbers and member names…" Iruka said. Naruto decided to practice his meditation while he tuned out everything other than familiar names… He'd heard a few, but otherwise unimportant. "Team seven; Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto, and Aburame Shino." Naruto groaned when he heard it. He wasn't on the same team as Hinata… but that didn't matter. He knew Sakura in passing, but he hated Sasuke, and by extension was biased against his fangirls. He really didn't know her very well, but he figured he could get along with her as long as she didn't have Sasuke around to dote over. Shino was a good friend, so Naruto was glad to have one on his team at least. "Team eight; Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuuga Hinata, and Uchiha Sasuke."

Now this, Naruto wasn't going to stand for. "_YOU PUT SASUKE-TEME ON THE SAME TEAM AS MY HINATA!?_"

Iruka sighed. He knew this was going to happen… "Yes, Naruto… but it wasn't _me _that put them together. I'm just reading off the list…"

"Did you know…" Naruto said, forcing himself to calm down. "That the Hyuuga and Uchiha are natural enemies?" At this, everyone in the room glanced between Hinata and Sasuke. Their clan feud was public knowledge, but since there was only one Uchiha left in Konoha, it was a moot point until now. "There is no way I'm leaving my Hinata with a bastard that wouldn't even give a damn about her safety…"

"Naruto… statistically, you _would_ have been a good choice to pair up with her, however…" Iruka said, watching Naruto puff out his chest and flare red with rage again. "If you _were_ to be on her team, your prior relationship would hinder individual development." Most, if not all of the class was dumfounded at this. "You are _far_ too overprotective of Hinata. In that regard, in any remotely dangerous situation, you would simply wind up fighting her battles _for_ her. This would not only take from a team dynamic, but it would also limit Hinata's skills as a shinobi, endangering her later in life when the two of you _aren't_ paired together on missions." Sadly, Naruto could find no argument to those facts. Iruka was right… He needed to back away and let Hinata handle her own fights…

But the _UCHIHA!?_

---

Naruto and the rest of the newly formed Team Seven were still sitting in class long after the rest of the Genin had met their Jounin sensei and left. Naruto was glad to see Hinata paired up with Kurenai, although she was thoroughly shocked she had an Uchiha for a student for some reason or another… She even spent a minute discussing it with Iruka out of earshot. From what he could hear, the reason for the last-minute switch is because Naruto and Sasuke would probably wind up _killing_ each other… _Damn straight, I'd kill 'im…_ he thought.

Although most in their position would grow to form a bond of friendship through their rivalry, Sasuke's firm insult of Hinata was a slap to the face for Naruto, and the Uchiha didn't open up to _anyone_, let alone someone he wrongly thought of as a 'dobe'. In the end, all there was between them was sheer and utter hatred… He felt more at ease since he knew Kurenai was their teacher. She wouldn't let anything happen to Hinata, and Naruto was _damn_ sure that if anyone could break Sasuke of his emo-bitch status, it was the Genjutsu Mistress.

Naruto was tense. More than that, he was _rigid_ with pure primal _RAGE _at his sensei for being so late. If there was one thing Uzumaki Naruto couldn't stand, it was being too excited to meditate _and_ having to sit on his ass for more than a half hour. This had only happened once before… Hiashi knew damn well not to keep Naruto waiting now, and the blonde would be _damned_ if his sensei wasn't about to learn the same lesson. So, Naruto did what he always did to unwind… Cause misfortune to the one who irked him in the form of a prank…

Naruto was trying to decide whether to use a blackboard eraser caked with itching powder or instant adhesive when their sensei finally arrived. _DAMN!!!_ Naruto thought. _I'll get 'im next time… _Naruto was well-renowned for his pranks, more specifically, how they were so meticulously calculated. If he wanted to hit a single person in a crowd with an oatmeal-filled water balloon, by _Kami_, he'd _HIT_ that _ONE_ person, and not get a single oat on anyone else. However, there was a fact only two people were privy to… Naruto was not the only prankster in class. His rival, the only other person that knew of the other prankster's identity (Naruto's specialty was executing overly complicated pranks flawlessly, his rival's specialty was remaining anonymous) was the second prankster himself. This prankster, however, had just finished telling his Kikai bugs to lay down a thin layer of excrement in front of the door. Invisible, nearly odorless, and quite slippery…

"Ohayo…" the silver-haired Cyclops was face-first into the floor within seconds of entering the room, with a sound not unlike '"FURG"-_KLUNK_'

If there was one thing Aburame Shino loved, it's when people got what they deserved. Especially shinobi that never bother to look where they step… Smirking evilly as their new sensei picked himself up off the floor, he heard his Kunoichi teammate yell "_NARUTO!_" The ensuing smile that crept upon his features threatened to break from the safety of the abnormally high collar indicative of standard Aburame-garb.

_I don't like these three…_ Kakashi thought. "I like you guys…" He said. "You've got talent for stealth and traps, I'll give you that…"

"Don't we… y'know… go to some secluded, relaxing place now and talk about ourselves?" Naruto asked sheepishly, at which Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow. "Aniki was talking about it… he passed the Academy Graduation Exam last year."

"Aniki? I thought you were an only child…" Kakashi stated.

"Oh, I am… I was talking about Neji. He's like an older brother to me." Naruto clarified.

"_Hyuuga_ Neji? From Gai's team…?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah… you know him?" The blonde asked.

"No… I know his sensei, though."

---

The four were sitting on a balcony, overlooking the city. Just like Naruto said… peaceful, calming, serene… "So, aren't you gonna go first, Sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Okay, then… My name is Hatake Kakashi. I have a few hobbies, I like most things… dislike some things… and I don't have any dreams at the moment." Kakashi answered his own questions of 'what is your name, your hobbies, things you like and dislike, and dreams for the future?'

Naruto pulled a small, black book from his jacket pocket, and opened it to a marked page. "Hatake Kakashi, AKA 'Copy Ninja Kakashi', Rank: Jounin, Notable features: Sharingan? Oooh… fancy. Traits/habits: Almost constantly seen reading a lewd book series, and keeps himself relatively secluded."

"Where did you get a _Kiri _Bingo Book?" Kakashi asked, deciding to follow with a better question; "…_WHY_ do you have a Kiri Bingo Book?"

"I have my ways…" Naruto said, before pulling four more little black books from various pockets, holding them all in one hand like a fan. "Honestly, how _else_ am I supposed to figure out who everyone is around here?"

Kakashi grumbled. This kid knew about Icha Icha… from the rumors he'd heard of the blonde, he's probably _read _Icha Icha too… No matter, they all knew about it now, and they didn't know much else besides what they'd find out eventually… "Okay then… you… kunoichi." He said, pointing to Sakura.

"Well… my name's Haruno Sakura… I don't think I have any hobbies… There's this boy I like… and a few I _dislike_…" She eyed her teammates when she said this. "Dreams for the future…" She blushed as she held her hands together and stared up into blank space.

"Haruno…" Shino said, silently enough so that only the four present could hear, but firm enough to catch his teammate's attention. "The Uchiha does not return your feelings, and statistically, he will never do so." The only thing that saved Shino from a pounding was the fact that Naruto was between them to hold her back. "It is common knowledge that although almost eighty percent of the females in our class are attracted to him, he shows no signs of interest in romance, nor the opposite gender in any respect."

Sakura grumbled as she sat back into her chair. "Tch… yeah, right…" She muttered. Of course, he _was_ right… but she wouldn't admit it.

"Logically, three conclusions can be drawn…" Shino continued. "The Uchiha is premature, and lacks the hormonal influx to feel impulsive lust and thus find attraction. The Uchiha simply wishes for no emotional attachments whatsoever…" Shino paused for a moment, taking in a slight breath. He knew what her reaction was going to be… "The Uchiha is however, most likely homosexual in nature."

Shino was right. Sakura leapt clear over Naruto to land a kick directly on Shino's brow. Or, she _thought_ she did, until he dissolved away into a mass of bugs, causing Sakura to squeal slightly. Naruto laughed; "Sakura-nee-chan… temper, temper…"

"May we continue?" Shino asked, walking out from behind Kakashi.

"Please do…" The Jounin replied.

"Hehee… well, I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Not sure if I have any hobbies… but I like being around my friends and my Hinata…" Kakashi looked at the boy curiously. He didn't _actually_ think he called her 'his' Hinata like he'd been told… but, apparently everyone just got used to it. The teasing about them being an 'item' died down years ago, and no one really remembers anything about it. Most just see them like a sibling pair with an overprotective big brother… "I don't like _Sasuke-teme_ or anyone like him who thinks they're better than everyone else just because of their _birth_…" He glared at Sakura slightly when he said Sasuke's name. "And one day, I'm going to become Hokage! So I can help everyone… even the people who just see me as a relic from some horrible nightmare…"

Sakura and Shino both gave him confused looks, but Kakashi understood. He wanted people to see him for Naruto, not Kyuubi… "That's all well and good, Naruto… but you need to be the strongest shinobi in the village to become Hokage." Kakashi said.

"So I need to get stronger… big deal." Naruto said sarcastically. "If you coast through living only taking what comes easy to you, you'll never truly _live_ a day in your life…"

Kakashi was amazed with the boy. He was already spouting philosophical ideals, even if he didn't realize it. Just like Yondaime… _This kid is going to become great…_ Kakashi thought. "Okay… you?"

"Aburame Shino." The last member of the Genin cell said as he took his seat again. Upon looks from the other three urging him to continue, he complied. "I like… 'bugwatching' as Naruto calls it… I like insects, and the few close friends I've made over these past four years at the academy. I dislike quite a lot of things, especially people who pry into other's lives…" He glanced at his teammates. Naruto chuckled and slunk back. Sakura was sure if Shino had the power to do so, he'd burn a hole through her with his eyes. "My future is my own business."

"Wow, Shino…" Naruto said. "I _DO_ believe that's the most I've heard you say since that time me and the guys got you dru-" Naruto was immediately silenced by Shino's deathly glare. You do not want to piss off an Aburame… All said though, an intoxicated Shino is the life of any party. Subsequently, they'd all been sworn never to speak of it on pain of castration and/or death.

---

To say the next couple weeks flew by would be an understatement. Naruto was fairly certain he'd blocked several days worth of memories from his mind… Today, however, Naruto was simply fed up… He'd caught this cat how many times before? He was nearly ready to snap… after handing the cat off to its owner, the Daimyo's wife, he regained a sliver of malicious joy in the fact that it was strangled every second Naruto saw it in her arms. Before the Sandaime could open the book to give them their next D-rank mission, Naruto spoke up…

"Saru-ji…" Everyone was either dumbfounded, astonished, or downright _scared_ that Naruto would call the Hokage 'Old Monkey'. Sarutobi, however, was in the 'scared' category. Naruto had only used this term twice before, and it never ended well for the old man. "I'm losing my mind… now… I want either a higher-ranked mission, or something at least _somewhat _interesting like a joint mission…"

Sarutobi chuckled. Naruto was serious this time… "This is the fourth time you've asked for C or higher missions, and the _seventh _time you've asked for a joint mission with Team Eight."

Everyone looked at Naruto. They were there for one higher-mission request, and two pleads for joint missions… but they had no idea he'd actually asked more than just those times… "And…?" Naruto asked.

"I think I can accommodate both requests…" After hearing the reports from Kakashi about his team's combat abilities, Sarutobi was sure they could pull off at least a B-Rank mission if they had backup…

---

(Flashback – training ground seven - one day after the formation of Team Seven)

The three Genin were standing about ten yards from their sensei, who had just finished explaining 'The Bell Test'. Naruto and his two teammates simply stood there… until; "I've got a plan…"

The other three looked at the blonde who'd just spoken. "Any time you're ready…" Kakashi said, taking out a book to read. He was underestimating Naruto after _telling _him to try and kill his sensei… It isn't wise to piss off a Jinchuuriki.

"Sakura… you stay back with Shino, and take care of him. Shino; bug me…" Naruto said firmly. When he merely got confused looks he added "Now, please?" Doing as he was told, Shino let his Kikai bugs swarm over Naruto and he was motioned to back away. "_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_" Naruto yelled. Nine clones popped into existence, each one covered in a swarm of Kikai bugs. With a look of shock and awe, his teammates understood. He'd just increased Shino's offensive abilities tenfold. It also made sense that he instructed Sakura to guard him, as controlling a swarm of this size took all of Shino's concentration, even to the point where he had to block out the rest of the world. He was utterly defenseless, his own safety given up for power that made even the Jounin in front of them quiver in fear.

"…crap."

Kakashi only had time for one word before he put his book away. He was already being surrounded by Naruto clones, with the original staying back to help guard Shino as well as retain his chakra reserves in case they needed more clones. Kakashi underestimated him… and he'd told him to come at him with 'intent to kill'. Honestly, he already knew which room in the hospital they were going to put him in… the 'dumbass' ward…

The nine Naruto clones came at him in threes, as not to overcrowd the battlefield when they tried to hold Kakashi long enough for Shino's 'Kikai cloud' to catch him. Kakashi may be able to fend off two or three Naruto clones, but add in nearly a million chakra-sucking insects, and any Jounin would be fearing for their lives. The Kage Bunshin, as they were granted a fraction of Naruto's total chakra upon their creation, were also capable of using Jyuuken. Kakashi was instantly aware of this fact as several of the light blows aimed at him struck their marks. Honestly, Kakashi was utilizing skills far beyond mere Genin or Chuunin, merely to _survive _the onslaught…

Even Kawarimi couldn't save him… every time he tried to lose them, the bugs would simply lead the team of clones back to him. He knew this strategy… The Naruto clones had probably placed several bugs on his person during their attacks, and the swarm was using these to find him. If for no other reason, he was going to lose due to sheer chakra exhaustion…

And then he noticed it. He was tired. _Too_ tired… looking out from his hiding place in the trees, he saw the swarm floating towards him, and the four Naruto clones remaining running on ahead of them. No… wait… the cloud was too small… Horror flushed over his features as he saw them... The trees were covered in Kikai, and they were swiftly washing over him.

The last thing the Jounin saw was Naruto's foot. Or rather, the feet of two Naruto clones rushing towards him. As he predicted, he woke up in what Tsunade had labeled her 'Idiot' ward, with three rooms of varying degrees of inanity. 'Stupid' 'dumbass' and 'brain-dead'. Kakashi was fortunate. She'd only stuck him in 'stupid', although he spent the next week there recovering chakra exhaustion and internal injuries.

---

(Present – Hokage's office)

"Send him in…" Sarutobi said, and a drunkard in a straw hat was lead into the room. "Tazuna-san, these four, along with a similar squad, will be your escort."

"These _brats_?" He asked, not bothering to mask the distaste in his voice.

"Six brats…" Kakashi said. "Who could probably take down any one shinobi in this village if they set their minds to it, along with myself and another Jounin."

"Sufficient escort for a B-Rank mission…" Shino added, his voice monotone as usual. "You should thank the Hokage, as well as our sensei for allowing our training to encompass your request."

Tazuna grunted in acceptance. "All right then…" Sarutobi said. "You are to be prepared to leave by 9 tomorrow morning. I shall send word to Kurenai…" And at this, Team Seven filed out of the room to prepare for their trip the next day. Shino wouldn't admit it, but even he couldn't help but smile.

* * *

Yeah… just so you know, I'm not going to have Shino be the "OMG I HAVE NO EMOTIONS" guy he is in canon… Just… no. Naruto is one of his best friends in this fic, and no one who can even _remotely_ call Naruto their friend could possibly suppress their emotions. I AM however keeping his 'logic is absolute' attitude for the most part. Plus, honestly… Shino the prankster? You know you love it… 

Next chapter is, obviously, the mission to Wave. _NOTHING YOU SAY CAN CHANGE WHO LIVES AND DIES IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. _I already have it planned out, and I think you'll learn to love it if you give it a chance…

Also, don't try to tell me to pair Haku up with anyone, okay? Just… no. (This has ALSO been decided beforehand. Whether it's because (s)he dies next chapter or I already have someone picked out, you'll have to read to find out… oh I am sooo evil… kekeke…)


	5. Love and Rage

The _strangest_ complaint I've gotten for this fic so far I think, has been 'not reading the fic anymore because Kakashi isn't teaching Sasuke'… uhhm… Sasuke doesn't _HAVE_ the Sharingan yet. I'm pretty sure it's a moot point who he trains with before then…

Well, this is the chapter I've been wanting to write for a _looooong_ time… so, here it is.

Now, if any of you are wondering about the team setup, it should be obvious by now that Team Seven remains an 'assault' squad; while Team Eight, with Hinata's Byakugan and Kiba and Akamaru's tracking skills, it remains a 'Tracking/Retrieval' team. Sasuke of course, acts as the team member that, in things like rescue missions, _takes down _the people holding the rescued person(s) captive while his teammates go about the rescuing. Plus the fact that his Sharingan can potentially be used to track fast-moving objects or targets, he can _also _be of use to the team in a proper respect as well.

Oh, and for all of those out there who think I said that Hinata is like a little sister to Naruto… erm… no. Hell no. What I _said_ was that their classmates, teachers and friends simply started thinking of them and treating them like siblings. After all, that's how they _acted _near each other. However, to Naruto, Hinata is a best friend, not a sister. The same is also true for Hinata.

Also, if anything seems half-assed to you, just remember. It _IS_. I'm usually half-asleep when I get to writing. Plus, this is a pretty long chapter by my standards, and I've got parts I want to write. So, I may skip parts or leave out details… without even realizing I'm doing it. I also realize that I may tend to be a little… over-redundant at times… Sorry in advance… On with the chapter!

* * *

Knowing they were going on the same mission, Naruto (who still lived in the Hyuuga Compound) simply walked Hinata to Konoha's gates. They both knew that this was going to be… _interesting_ to say the least, in light of the temporary team merger. 

"NARU-BOYA!" Kiba yelled, literally tackling the blonde.

"Yeah… nice to see you too Kiba… where's your _other_ teammates?" Naruto asked, still pinned to the ground.

"Oh, well, Teme's still in the hospital after me and Akamaru…" Kiba chuckled as he rolled off of Naruto and sat up. "_Tried out_ a few new _secret techniques_ on him…"

"Tsuuga?" Naruto asked, earning him a firm cry of '_DAMMIT!_' from the Inuzuka boy.

"Sasuke-san should be out of the hospital by now… earlier this morning." Hinata said silently. "He may just be a little late, having less time to pack for the trip than we did…"

"And Kurenai-sensei's off rounding up _your_ sensei…" Kiba added, at which Naruto and Sakura chuckled.

When they'd arrived, the only three absent were the two Jounin and Sasuke. Tazuna, Sakura, Shino and Kiba were already present. "So, you're the brats that're going to be _escorting_ me?" Tazuna asked.

"What!? Do you have any idea who you've hired!?" Sakura yelled. "We've got an _Uchiha_!"

"And an Inuzuka, a Hyuuga, an Aburame, the future Hokage, and a banshee…" Naruto said, pointing to people as he listed them off. Needless to say, Sakura did _not_ like being called a banshee…

Everyone showed their own mirth at this, save Sakura. Tazuna chuckled, Naruto and Kiba laughed, Hinata did her best to keep quiet, holding her hands over her mouth, and even Shino had an inescapable urge to chuckle, covering it up by placing his hand over his face and giving out a disapproving groan.

"Ne, Naruto…" Kakashi said, popping up in a puff of smoke. "I thought I told you not to make fun of Sakura… it's bad for the team dynamic…" Kakashi glanced around after finishing his sentence, as if he feared the use of the word 'dynamic' would bring some sort of green blur crashing into him…

Kakashi was spared this fate however as Kurenai and Sasuke appeared in a similar fashion. "Come now Kakashi… the boy is just having a little fun…" The woman said.

"It's _her_ fault if she can't take a joke…" Sasuke added, much to the pink-haired girl's chagrin.

"Okay… now if we're done with the _touchy-feely_, we've got places to be, right?" Naruto asked, hands laced behind his head as he started walking through the gate.

As they walked, there was little to do but talk… Kakashi and Kurenai were following behind, discussing their various teaching methods, while Sasuke took point, Sakura close at his heels, Naruto was off to Tazuna's left talking to Shino (it was a rather one-sided conversation) which left Kiba and Hinata at the right of their charge. "Sooo, uh, Hinata…" Kiba said doing his best to act suave… "You have anything planned after the mission? I could pick you up one of these days for dinner or sumthin'…"

Hearing this, Naruto tensed, as did everyone there except Tazuna and Shino. _EVERYONE _knew how overprotective Naruto was. Kiba was just confident he could outrun the blonde… There were others, however, that saw need to intervene. Shino walked up beside Kiba, gently grabbing his shoulder and whispering something in his ear. As he walked back to his 'conversation' with Naruto, the Inuzuka stopped dead cold. All color flushed from his and Akamaru's faces, which was quite the feat considering Akamaru's fur and Kiba's facial markings…

"K-Kiba-kun…" Hinata said, blushing as she looked back at the boy. "Were you… asking me out on a date?"

At this the Inuzuka boy quickly jumped back to life… "_NO!_ I… erm… I mean…" Taking a moment to think, he added; "I'm sure Sensei or Teme would like to come too, right?" He asked, looking over to Kurenai, who nodded, giggling under her breath.

The next thing to happen was two Mist ninja jumping out of a puddle, wrapping a bladed chain around Kakashi before tearing him apart. "One down…" one of them said.

"Two down…" The other said as they leapt toward Kurenai.

"_THE CHAIN!_" Naruto yelled, diving towards one of them to slow him down.

This situation didn't require thought, it required action. And Kiba was damn good at acting without thinking. "_TSUUGA!_" He yelled, propelling himself into a horizontal twister and smashed into the chain. It snapped almost instantly, and the Inuzuka boy skidded to a halt behind the foreign ninja. "FUCK!" He yelled, cradling his now-bleeding hands and forearms. _That chain had BLADES you dumbass!!!_ He thought to himself.

In a close-quarters fight, Naruto had yet to meet his equal in anyone save Neji and Lee, who he'd started training with every so often when he had some time and Hinata was busy. His opponent found this out first-hand. The fight was over in three moves; Naruto grabbed the enemy's right wrist, smacked the other arm away with his right, and slammed his palm into the man's chest. Naruto watched as he slumped forward, coughing on his own blood. Naruto had crushed his heart under the weight of his chakra… it would only be seconds until he died.

The other was outmanned and outmaneuvered. And thus, he ran. The Mist nin was knicked or struck my several kunai and shuriken as he retreated, until of course he was clotheslined by the copy ninja…

Kakashi had merely to stick his arm out, and the frightened Chuunin ran right into it, flipping twice and landing face-down on the ground. "Well, then… it appears we have a bit of a problem…" Kakashi muttered nonchalantly.

---

Tazuna had been taken aside by Kurenai and Kakashi for questioning, as had the unconscious enemy under the Genin's watch when he regained consciousness. When the Jounin and their charge returned, they were suspiciously without their captive, leaving the Genin to surmise what had transpired. The ninja they captured was most likely dead.

"This has now been upgraded to an A-Rank mission." As Kakashi said this, the Genin were taken aback.

"However…" Kurenai interjected. "Two Jounin and six Genin should be able to handle a B-Rank mission with relative ease. An A-Rank should be simple enough to complete, although there is a very _real_ possibility one or more of you would not come back from this alive."

Half the Genin swallowed hard. They could die? Shino looked impassive as always, Naruto looked downright _excited_, and Sasuke simply stood there looking dark and broody. Sakura and Hinata knew they weren't ready for something like this, and Kiba knew_ damn_ well not to underestimate the Genjutsu Mistress' words. He'd made that mistake once before… never again.

Kakashi sighed. "We have decided to let you six decide whether or not you want to continue on this mission, knowing the risks. We have confirmation we'll almost certainly be facing more enemy shinobi. We will _only _accept a unanimous decision, or we turn back."

As his cyclopean sensei said this, Naruto could feel something welling up inside him… Fear, sadness, anxiety, and most disturbing of all, excitement. "Kakashi-sensei… are you insane?"

The masked nin looked down onto his student's face. He hadn't expected _Naruto_ to be the one to back out, but he knew someone would've, all the same. "Well then, that settles that…"

Much to the contrary, Naruto looked confused. "We _took_ this mission, and I'll be damned if we're not the ones to _finish _it." He retorted. "I do NOT back down from a challenge, and I know for a fact that I won't lose to _ANYONE_ that gets in my way." Glancing around, he saw that the others were starting to share his sentiments. Even Sakura and Hinata seemed empowered by his words. "Go ahead and go back if you want, I'm finishing this mission, dammit…"

To everyone's shock, Naruto started walking down the road, signaling a confused Tazuna to follow him. The old man hadn't complied, but he certainly wanted to. Kakashi sighed. "Anyone want to turn back now?" As each of the other five Genin shook their heads, Kakashi cursed under his breath, and took out his book. "All right then, shall we?"

Kurenai nodded, and lead the group to catch up to Naruto.

---

Before leaving the Land of Fire, they decided to make camp before leaving on the boat to Wave. They had three tents; Kurenai, Sakura and Hinata in one, Kakashi, Sasuke and Tazuna in the second, and Naruto, Shino, Kiba and Akamaru in the third. Naruto volunteered to collect water and firewood, and with his Kage Bunshin, did so quite easily. While he was gone, however…

"What the hell, man?" Kiba asked as he sat down in their tent, all but glaring at Shino, who lay motionless on his sleeping bag. After a few moments, Kiba was all the more enraged by his silence. "Why shouldn't I-"

"You know very well why you shouldn't court Hinata." Shino said suddenly.

"Well, _HE_ hasn't made a move yet, so what's the problem!?"

"Whether he has or not is not the question, but rather, whether he _WILL _or not is. As his friends, we must respect his relationship with Hinata, and wait until they've had ample time to decide who _they_ want to be with." Only a handful of other times had Shino ever spoken so much in one breath. Kiba knew better than to argue with the Aburame boy, especially if he was feeling _talkative_ about the subject in question…

"Tch… like I'm going to wait that long to find out if she's going to be single or not…" Kiba muttered angrily.

"You have a better idea?" Shino asked.

"Do _YOU_?" Kiba asked, before backing away from his friend in shock. He honestly felt sorry for Naruto now, and wished he didn't _want_ anything to do with Hinata… It was _never_ a good thing to see an Aburame smile…

---

Several hours later, just after sunset, Naruto and Hinata were sparring atop a nearby stream. Although the sun was below the horizon, the sky still shone with a brilliant glow, more than enough to see by.

Sasuke was further in the forest, running up a tree while trying to stick to it with chakra. _Damn that Naruto…_ He thought. _Making me look like a fool in front of the Hyuuga…_

(About two hours earlier)

Sasuke walked up to the stream to get more water, when he saw Hinata giggling as she watched Naruto struggling to stand atop the rushing water. "Dammit, Hina-chan, this is _NOT_ like the pond back home!" Naruto griped.

"Dobe, how the hell are you doing that?" Sasuke asked, causing Naruto to spin around in confusion before plummeting face-first into the water.

"DAMMIT TEME!!!" Naruto roared.

"Sasuke…san." Hinata muttered, walking over to the bank. "Uhhm… it's an advanced chakra control exercise… I could teach you the basic form if you like…"

(Present)

And thus did Sasuke start trying to run up the side of a tree… he felt like an idiot, but it _was_ working in the manner his teammate described, so he couldn't complain. The only reason Naruto already knew water-walking was, in his own words; _"You don't live with the Hyuuga for half a decade and NOT learn anything about chakra control, baka-teme…"_

Sasuke _really_ hated that blonde buffoon…

---

Elsewhere, Naruto and Hinata were being watched as they finished their spar. "You _sure_ this is gonna work?" Kiba asked, to which he got a curt nod from his accomplice. Putting his plan into action, Shino led Kiba out of the brush, and slowly walked to where their targets were conversing. Naruto and Hinata, after greeting their friends and teammates, went back to their discussion on revising their training regiments, oblivious to the actions of the two closing in on them. The two split up, and walked around the pair, Shino behind Hinata, and Kiba behind Naruto. "Oops…" Kiba muttered.

Before they could realize what was happening, Naruto's lips were smashed against Hinata's. Kiba and Shino had given them a 'nudge' which entailed a firm elbow to each of their backs. Kiba and Shino were gone, leaving their bewildered targets locked together. By pure reflex, Naruto and Hinata grabbed the nearest thing they could to keep themselves from falling; each other. Naruto's hands were firmly placed over her upper arms, and Hinata seemed to be gripping his upper waist. It was a few moments before they pulled apart and turned their backs to each other, blushing profusely. What neither of them would admit is that nearly a split second after they were thrust together, their lips were parted by the recoil of the impact. In truth, they'd leaned together slightly in the confusion. The first kiss was an 'accident', the second wasn't.

"Is it working?" Kiba asked.

"We shall see…" Shino answered, although he wasn't looking at them at all. Kiba noted that what Shino was _really_ looking at was the small orange book from whence this 'plan' originated… Shino had skimmed through it once before, though Kiba couldn't force the admission out of him. Earlier, however, Shino had swiped the book from his sensei, and was currently reading it intently.

"So that's where I put it…" A masculine voice from behind them said lackadaisically.

"…Sensei." Shino muttered, without bothering to look up from the book.

"You… erm… saw the whole thing, then?" Kiba asked.

"As a matter of fact, I did." Kakashi said in the same droll tone.

"About damn time, really…" Kurenai said from her seat in the trees above them. "At the rate they _were _going, they'd be _my_ age before they figured out they're perfect for one another."

"Come on, sensei, you're not _that _old… right?" Kiba said, causing Shino to back a good three feet away from him. They were sure the boy would've been in a _world_ of hurt if Kakashi hadn't spoken up…

"Quiet, they're talking…"

---

"H-Hinata…"

"…N-Naruto…"

Neither would look the other in the eye. In fact, neither of them would even _move_… Both were as red as they could be, and both were wracking their brains for exactly what that kiss meant… of course, in the shock of it, neither remembered the fact that they were _pushed_ together, but that was beside the point… they just _kissed_… Sure, back when they were kids, they'd peck each other on the cheek every once in a while, but that was before they knew exactly what kissing _meant_. As far as 'real' kissing went, it was a first for both of them. All of the kissing, touching, and bathing together that went on between them ended abruptly when they got 'the talk' and neither of them thought to bring it up again.

((AN: I seriously HATE putting notes in the middle of a chapter, but I feel I should explain this… Yes. Naruto and Hinata continued to bathe together occasionally until they were eight or nine. It was a simple matter of being _that_ comfortable around each other. Hikari wasn't bathing them any longer, so she let them do as they wanted. If nothing else, she thought it was endearing… They never really _meant_ anything by it, that's just the way they've _always_ been around each other))

"Hinata… I'm sorry…" Naruto started, turning back toward her, his face still flushed red.

"N-no… It must've been my fault somehow…" Hinata said, her countenance in the same condition as Naruto's. "Don't blame yourself…"

"Well, I'm still sorry, okay? Listen, we should get some sleep and just try to forget this ever happened, ne?" Naruto said, and at Hinata's nod, the two began walking back to camp.

Kiba's jaw threatened to hit the ground. This made no sense to him. How dense could Naruto _BE_!? Before he knew it, he'd dashed out of his hiding place and all but screamed at the boy. "_KISS HER AGAIN YOU FUCKING IDIOT!!!_"

Naruto and Hinata stopped dead, staring at Kiba. "…What?" The two asked in unison, Naruto more than just _slightly_ louder than Hinata.

Kiba groaned. "This is why I hate matchmaking; it _never_ goes the way I want it to! Now, do I have to spell it out for you!? _KISS HER DUMBASS!_"

"Wha… why would I?" Naruto asked, his face flushing red in full force once more, as did Hinata's.

Kiba slapped his palm to his forehead. "Oi… a little help here?" After several yips and barks from Akamaru, Kiba doubled back in shock. "Even _I'm _not stupid enough to say _THAT!_" At which Akamaru gave the canine equivalent of a shrug.

"Naruto…" Shino said, walking up next to him and Hinata. "It is quite obvious to anyone with even _substandard_ intellect that the feelings between you and Hinata are not strictly platonic in nature."

The blonde could barely keep himself from falling on his ass at this. "_You're implying I want to BANG Hinata!?_" Naruto yelled, easily gaining the attention of every one of their travelling companions.

Hinata had to sit herself down before she heard any more, burying her face in her hands as various strings of thought passed through her mind along the lines of _'Why does Kami-sama hate me?'_

"No, _YOU'RE_ the one who implied that…" Kiba said, "But if you _really _want to, we can-_HEY!_" He yelled as Kurenai began dragging him away by the hood of his jacket.

Shino sighed. "What I meant was that you and Hinata are far more than mere friends."

"Of _course_ we are! She's my _best_ friend!" Naruto yelled.

"That is not what I meant, and you know it, however reluctant you are to accept it." Shino said, pushing his shades further up the bridge of his nose in typical 'smart-guy' fashion.

"Dammit… Hinata! Talk some sense into him!" Naruto said, knowing he was losing this war of words.

Hinata simply stood up and walked away. She was headed back to camp, or more specifically, to the 'girls' tent. Naruto was dumbfounded as Shino patted his shoulder, clearly smirking from Naruto's, and _ONLY_ Naruto's vantage point, before he too resolved his features and walked back to camp. Sasuke, although he'd stopped training to watch from a distance, had never shown himself. And Sakura was still at camp with Tazuna. Naruto was, at present, alone.

Dropping to his knees, Naruto leaned back slightly with his palms covering his eyes, and took three deep breaths… before 'calm' was mercilessly ripped from his vocabulary. "FUCK!" He yelled, now leaning forward while gripping tufts of his unruly hair. _What if they're right? What if I LIKE Hinata? Holy fuck… what if I LOVE Hinata? Deep breaths, deep breaths… meditate like Kurenai taught you… dammit, like that's going to HELP… Okay… think… DO you like Hinata?_

"Do you like Hinata?" A voice mirrored his thoughts. Naruto looked up to see his sensei standing over him.

"How the hell should I know?" Naruto asked, before taking three more deep breaths and continuing; "Sensei… do you know how to tell if you like a girl?"

---

As Hinata made her way back to camp, she saw the battered and unconscious form of Kiba on the side of the path, and stopped briefly to heal any wounds he'd sustained from Kurenai's wrath, as well as check up on the cuts from the bladed chain she'd healed earlier.

Afterwards, she continued on her path to the camp, entering the girls tent and zipping up the door behind her. By some amount of luck, Kurenai was inside setting up sleeping bags and organizing packs. To the Jounin's utter surprise, her student practically tackled her, wrapping her arms around her waist and planting her head firmly in the woman's bosom. Kurenai knew from her experience with Hinata that this meant she was extremely uncomfortable with something, and needed emotional support. Hinata hadn't done it in years, though…

"What's wrong, Hinata?" Kurenai asked as she stroked the girl's hair.

"I… I think I like Naruto…" Hinata answered, her voice understandably muffled by Kurenai's ample chest.

"Well that makes sense… I've known you liked him for a while now…" Kurenai said, causing the girl to look up at her with nothing less than sheer horror. If Kurenai suspected it, who else did?

Hinata slumped back into her original position, safely cradled in her sensei's motherly figure. "…fuck…" she muttered.

"Now Hinata… you know you shouldn't talk like that…" Kurenai said. Honestly, Hinata had thought she wouldn't hear her…

"I know…" Hinata muttered. "But honestly, if we do start dating and it doesn't work out…"

"He'll still be your friend…" Kurenai said, lifting up Hinata's face to look her in the eye, only to see that the girl was starting to tear up. "Have a little more faith in him." She added, smiling brightly.

"But… I don't know if I like him that way…"

"Ohhh, I think you do…" Kurenai said before plucking a small pink book from one of the bags and flipping it open, skimming through it until she stopped on a particular page. "Hmm… 'Today was the most fun I've ever had. I wonder if me and Naruto-kun can be together forever, but I'm sure he likes someone else by now…'" Hinata looked up at her sensei in terror. "'After what mom told me when I asked her about _IT_, sometimes I have to wonder if he's still-'…" Kurenai stifled the urge to laugh, making it come out as a rather unladylike snort. "'-as _well proportioned_ as he used to be." At that, Kurenai couldn't hold in her laughter any longer as Hinata snatched her diary away from the older woman, whom she was now glaring at furiously.

"That's _NOT _nice Kurenai!" Hinata yelled. Kurenai was able to tone her fit down to light chuckling before Hinata let a smirk form on her lips. "Don't make me tell _Asuma_…"

Kurenai gave her student a playful scowl before smiling again. "Oh alright… I won't read your diary again… but how else am I supposed to keep up on your life? We never _talk_ anymore! And I thought we talked about you calling me Kurenai-_sensei_ now…"

"Okay, Kurenai-_sensei_, we'll talk more often." Hinata said, wiping the remaining tears from her eyes. "Starting with… umm…"

"…How to '_hook up_' with Naruto-kun?" Kurenai asked. At Hinata's bashful nod, Kurenai couldn't help but smile. _My shy little Hina-chan is still in there…_ Kurenai thought. _She just seems to be growing up so fast… slowly becoming more outgoing by the day. I think I need to have a chat with Hikari about just what to 'train' Hinata in… _Kurenai donned a wicked smile for an instant before her face flushed with horror and immediately became impassive. _Damn… I'm spending WAY too much time with Anko lately…_

---

Hikari was right… asking another guy these questions was a _LOT_ less awkward than talking to a woman about it…

Naruto and Kakashi spent the last half hour discussing love, relationships, dating, hormones, sex, and just about anything a boy should be able to ask his father about. He _was_ the boy's sensei after all, and as Naruto was an orphan, Kakashi figured he was probably the closest thing to a 'father' figure Naruto had…

"Well, as long as you understand it's best to wait a few more years at least, then everything's fine…" Kakashi said. Naruto had decided he _liked_ Hinata. 'Love' could wait until after four or five dates…

"Yeah… I… guess I can talk to Hinata after we get back home." Naruto said, rubbing the back of his neck and grinning slightly.

"Alright then, back to camp we go…" Kakashi said, by now, Naruto had been around his sensei long enough to tell he was smiling.

---

After Sasuke and Sakura dragged Kiba back to camp, and everything was set up including three logs around a fire along with the tents, as well as battle strategies should they be forced to fight another shinobi. Kurenai was thoroughly impressed with the strategy used to trounce Kakashi in the bell test, and even made sure to voice her awe as she watched Naruto and Shino train with the Kage Bunshin Kikai swarm, or the 'Kage Kikai no Jutsu' as Naruto called it. Shino decided Naruto liked naming things a little _too_ much. Shibi also voiced his praise at the strategy a few days prior when they showed him. He also made sure they knew that Naruto is possibly the only person in Konoha who can do it. Kikai bugs drain miniscule amounts of chakra even if they aren't ordered to do so ('nibbling' as opposed to 'gorging' was Naruto's analogy) and thus even if anyone else can stand to evenly split their chakra between each of their Kikai-covered selves, they would most likely be unable to fight effectively afterwards. Naruto's unrivaled stamina is the key.

In the end, everyone stayed up talking about themselves, with Naruto and Kiba occasionally trying to get Shino to drink some of Tazuna's liquor. He bluntly refused every time. Surprisingly enough, Sakura and Hinata seemed to form one of those 'girl bonds' that simply baffled Naruto and the other male Genin. Sure, they were 'friends' in the academy, but Hinata was one of the few girls that _didn't_ chase Sasuke around everywhere, so they never spent much time together. Kurenai glared at Kakashi, who was reading his trademark orange book while Shino read over his shoulder. Every so often, a perverted giggle would be heard from the Jounin, but more surprisingly is that half of those were accompanied by a poorly suppressed perverse giggling from Shino as well… She'd seen the Aburame boy around quite often, as she regularly stopped by the Hyuuga compound where Naruto, Kiba, and Shino would often hang out, or when the boy came to train with them since he had nothing better to do. Frankly, she'd never seen him so open, even if by normal standards, he was still bottled up in his own little world. She also had a hard time coming to terms with the fact that he was apparently a closet pervert…

Naruto and Hinata did their best to avoid each other all night. It wasn't that they didn't _want_ to talk to each other, but rather, neither had any idea what to say. Naruto at least, had a plan. He'd ask her out as soon as he was damn sure Hiashi wouldn't be tempted to kill him for dating his daughter… Not many people knew it, but she was already getting marriage proposals from various dignitaries across the country, and a few in _other_ countries… Naruto was little more than a petty commoner in the eyes of politicians like Hiashi. Sure, Naruto was Hinata's best friend. Sure, he's proven himself to be a strong, trustworthy individual. And hell, he and Hiashi had even _bonded_ somewhat over the years… but he was sure that wasn't enough to earn his daughter's hand… If there's one thing Naruto knew about the situation, it was that Hiashi wouldn't see the 'dating' aspect of it. That's just the way politicians like him think… He'd undoubtedly take it not as 'permission to date his daughter' but 'asking if it's okay to _marry_ her'. Naruto utterly _HATED_ political shit...

Sasuke was already sleeping as this all occurred, and soon the others decided to do the same.

---

The next day wasn't very pleasant, to say the least. The morning was spent in almost deafening silence, the tension in the air was so thick. The biggest problem they had all morning was the fact that there was only one boat. This was easily remedied as those who _could_ walk atop water decided to do so, leaving Tazuna, Sasuke, Sakura, Kiba and Shino as the only passengers.

That was, of course, until they reached their island destination. About two hours after reaching the once peaceful and prosperous Wave country, they were ambushed. "DOWN!!!" Kakashi roared as a massive blade cleaved the air where their necks had been.

"Hmm… You're better than I thought you'd be… I'm surprised I didn't even manage to kill at least _one_ of your pathetic Genin with that attack…" A man said, appearing on the blade's hilt after it embedded itself into a tree.

"Momochi Zabuza… A-Rank missing-nin from Kirigakure…" Kakashi said under his breath.

"Hatake Kakashi… A-Rank Jounin of Konohagakure…" The man answered.

"Okay, now that the introductions are over, can we just kick his ass already?" Naruto asked.

Everyone, even the missing nin in question looked at the blonde with surprise. "Are you _simple_ brat?" Zabuza asked. ('Simple' is a nice way of saying 'retarded')

"Nah, but _you'll_ be when I'm done pounding your skull in!" Naruto replied mockingly.

"We'll see about that…" Zabuza said as he brought his hands together. "_Kirigakure no Jutsu_…"

Naruto immediately leapt into action. His vision blurred by the mist Zabuza's Jutsu created, he found need to use an _area_ damage technique. "_Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!_"

As the flurry of fireballs sped into the mist, the distinct sound of a tree cracking and falling into the water was heard. After that and Naruto's curse for missing, however, there was silence. Until of course, Sasuke got fed up with the thought of his nemesis surpassing him… "Dobe, how the hell do you know Housenka!?"

Naruto shot the Uchiha a confused glare before answering; "Do you have _any_ idea how many jutsu are in the Hyuuga library?"

Sasuke was taken aback. He really _had_ no idea… but he wouldn't let them know it, as he passed his actions off as an enraged scoff.

"You know…" Zabuza's voice permeated the mist, strangely echoing as if it was coming from all around them. "I was told there would be a single Genin cell… three runts and a Jounin…" He chuckled. "But that doesn't matter, I'll kill you all just the same…"

"This guy's a Jounin…" Naruto muttered. "Which means only me, Kakashi-sensei and Kurenai-sensei can fight him head on…" The two Jounin looked at the boy skeptically as he said this, knowing that with the boy's unnatural knack for strategy, he was probably right… "Shino… can you do _defense_?"

The young Aburame's featured donned an intense hue of surprise and understanding as Naruto said this. (Intense by Aburame standards, at least) "I believe so." Shino answered.

"Good…" Naruto said, jumping back next to Shino and Tazuna. "Everyone gather 'round…" The Genin did as instructed, except for Sasuke. "You too, Sasuke-teme, unless you _want_ to die..." At this, Sasuke begrudgingly complied. Naruto stepped away from the five other Genin huddled around their charge as Shino's Kikai flooded over him. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

As Naruto and his nine clones dashed away from the swarm, Shino began forming them into a dome over himself and those near him. "Ne… Naruto!" Hinata yelled as she watched the wall of bugs form between them. "Naruto…"

"Goin' up against a Jounin… I don't envy him…" Kiba muttered, Akamaru yipping in agreement.

"You are _SO_ insensitive!" Sakura yelled, moving over to Hinata's side in the confined space. The Kikai dome had compressed significantly, thickening its walls by an equally significant degree. "He'll be fine, Hinata…" Sakura put a comforting hand on Hinata's shoulder as she heard the all-too-familiar sounds that marked the beginnings of an emotional breakdown.

"I hope you're right…" Hinata said sadly.

---

Ten Narutos were squared off against an equal number of Zabuzas. The sounds of combat could be heard in the distance as Kurenai and Kakashi did battle with the real Zabuza and two more Mizu Bunshin. "Now that I think about it…" Naruto muttered. "Mizu Bunshin can't use Jutsu… can they?" Each Naruto brought his hands up into a familiar cross-shaped hand seal. "Giving _me_ the advantage… _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_"

Each Naruto made four more, ending with a total of forty-nine clones crashing over Zabuza's Mizu Bunshin like a massive wave as the original dashed off to aid his sensei. When he arrived however, he found a dire sight. Kurenai trapped in a ball of water as Kakashi held off two massive blades to either side of him with two kunai of his own. Naruto's eyes widened when he realized the two Zabuza clones were slowly pushing Kakashi down into the water. Naruto himself barely realized he'd acted by the time he was skidding along atop the water, having just bisected one of the Mizu Bunshin. Kakashi took this opportunity to slash his kunai across the remaining Zabuza clone's stomach.

"Kakashi-sensei…" Naruto muttered. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine…" Kakashi answered, panting slightly.

"I'll go on ahead then…" Naruto said with an oddly conspicuous wink before charging Zabuza head-on, throwing several shuriken ahead of him.

"Tch… idiot…" Zabuza muttered, easily deflecting the shuriken with his free hand, the other still holding Kurenai's water prison together. Before Naruto was two meters from him, however, Zabuza felt a sharp pain in his left side which signified he'd been impaled. With Naruto's overly blunt actions, he hadn't bothered to watch Kakashi, who was now crouched behind him while holding the kunai jutting from his abdomen. "Basta-" Again, he'd fallen for an obvious ploy, as Naruto's foot struck the side of his face, sending him sprawling across the water's surface.

Naruto, Kakashi, and the now free Kurenai were about to continue their charge when two senbon needles appeared in the side of his neck. As he slumped over onto the shore, a small figure wearing a mask caught him, quite a feat for such a small build. "Hunter-nin…" Kakashi muttered.

"Yes. I am quite grateful to you for your… aid… in this man's demise." The figure said.

"By 'aid' you mean 'thanks for wearing him down and distracting him, now I'm going to take all the credit' right?" Naruto griped.

"That's just the way some things work out…" Kurenai said. "Get used to it…"

As the mist began to fade away, Naruto saw a glint in the water, and went to investigate as Zabuza disappeared with his 'exterminator'. Kakashi and Kurenai decided it would be best to return to where the rest of their respective teams were, and left Naruto to do whatever he was doing…

"Sakura, have Shino let down this barrier." Kakashi said as they found the dome.

"How do we know you're really Kakashi-sensei, and not just some guy in Henge?" A voice said from within the dome.

The Jounins sighed before hearing a familiar voice. "Hey guys, look what I found!" Naruto, or rather, three Narutos said as they carried a massive sword instantly recognized as Zabuza's up from under the water. "Can I keep it?"

"Can you _carry_ it?" Kakashi asked in retort.

"Uhhhm…" Naruto said before dispelling his clones, and after a few moments of trying to lift the massive blade, added; "Nope…"

Kakashi sighed again before hoisting the blade over his shoulders with a grunt and secured it to his back. "Now, about this matter…" He muttered, turning back to the mass of bugs.

"Oh, that's easy…" Kurenai said, giving them both a malicious grin that caused them both to step back. "Hinata, are you in there?"

"Yes…" They barely heard, muffled by the wall between them.

"Oh, well, there is a _little_ known fact that Naruto and Hinata used to be quite… _Intimate_ a few years back…" She said, making sure to say it loud enough that everyone inside heard. Naruto flushed red instantly, getting a wry glance from his sensei.

Sakura huddled up next to Hinata and asked, without even trying to hide her girlish need for gossip; "Is that _true_?"

If at all possible, Hinata pulled herself into an even tighter ball than she had previously, nodding. "Aww _shit_!" Kiba roared before falling to the ground in a fit of laughter. Sasuke and Tazuna _looked_ impassive, but both were secretly curious as to why the hell kids that age would be 'intimate'.

"Okay, Shino… you can let up on the bugs now…" Sakura said, patting her teammate on the shoulder, knocking him out of his self-induced trance.

Still blushing heavily, Naruto sternly asked "Can we _PLEASE_ start moving again?"

---

(I know, horrible of me, but I'm going to be skipping a lot of stuff here. I'm sorry, but if I tried to write it all, I'd get bored and it'd never get done…)

It wasn't long before they reached Tazuna's residence, met his daughter Tsunami and grandson Inari. Introductions having been made, Kakashi and Kurenai instructed their Genin to train while they guarded Tazuna and the bridge. Aside from Inari's apparent emotional distress and Naruto and Kiba's blatant attempts to cheer the boy up, the Genin's days consisted almost solely of training. Each of them had their own private 'self-training' time, during which Sasuke continued his tree-climbing exercises, Kiba sparred with Akamaru's 'Kiba' form, Sakura doted over Sasuke until he convinced her to do the same training (and was thoroughly irked when she completed it before he did), Hinata practiced her Jyuuken while water-walking, Shino trained his 'Kage Kikai' control, and Naruto kept going over a jutsu Jiraiya had shown him around when he graduated from the Academy. Needless to say, the _Rasengan_ was no small feat to master. It also explained why he'd passed out from chakra exhaustion the night before…

Naruto awoke to find his forehead protector was being assaulted by vicious jabs from a small stick, held by who appeared to be a local villager. "HWAGGAH!" Naruto exploded, knocking the implement of his pokey doom away before flying back two feet from shock alone.

"Oh, so you're _not_ dead…" The effeminate villager asked. "You know, you shouldn't sleep outside… you'll catch a cold."

"Oi… who are you?" Naruto asked.

"My name is Haku."

"Pleased to meet you…" Naruto said, covering his face haphazardly with one hand before adding under his breath; "Thank you _so_ much for scaring me shitless…"

"You're welcome." Haku replied, knowing that Naruto had no intention to be heard. "So what's your name?"

"Naruto…" He answered, rubbing what little sleep was left from his eyes before yawning. "Uzumaki Naruto…"

"Well… that's an interesting name…"

"Not really… It's not common, but I'm sure it's not rare either…" Naruto replied.

"What were you doing, sleeping out here?" Haku asked.

"Training… I guess I passed out from working too hard..." He said, rubbing a hand over his face once more for good measure. "What're you doing out here?"

"Gathering medicinal herbs…" Haku answered, sitting down while holding up a basket partially filled with various plants. "Tell me, why do you train so hard?"

"Well, I guess I…" Naruto stopped, hearing his name called out in the distance. A moment later, Akamaru came through the brush, closely followed by Kiba.

"Hoy, Naruto… Where've you…" Kiba instantly grew silent when he saw Akamaru walk towards Haku, who began vigorously petting the small dog. "_Helloooo_, and who might you be, beautiful?"

"My name is Haku… and I'm a boy."

Kiba's brain abruptly shattered. "No fucking way you're a guy…"

Haku chuckled. "Last time I had to pee, I'm pretty sure I-"

"_I GET THE PICTURE!_" Kiba roared, clapping his hands over his ears and turning away.

Haku openly laughed as Akamaru yipped along happily. "Well, you kinda' _asked _for it… uhhm?"

Akamaru barked loud enough to get through Kiba's closed ears. Lowering his hands, Kiba turned back towards Haku. "Oh, uhm… Kiba, and this is Akamaru."

"Nice to meet you…" Haku said cheerfully, taking Akamaru's paw and shaking it, while nodding to Kiba.

"Oi… Naruto… everyone's worried about you. I think Hinata's about to explode from worry… Kurenai-sensei had to knock her out with a Genjutsu to keep her from freakin' out over you not bein' there when she woke up." Kiba said, Akamaru yipping along at parts for emphasis.

"Wow…" Haku muttered, smiling brightly. "You're lucky to have a girlfriend who worries about you like that…"

About halfway through Haku's sentence, Kiba began waving his arms in a placating fashion, a hint of fear etched on his face as he tried to shut Haku up without speaking himself. This, however, failed miserably. "_HINATA IS __**NOT**__ MY_…" Naruto exploded, jumping up off the ground before blushing slightly as he realized how routine his claim of having no romantic interest in Hinata was. Sighing, he sat back down and muttered under his breath; "I guess… she really _is_ my girlfriend, huh?"

"She will be as soon as you ask her out, idiot…" Kiba scoffed. It didn't help that he himself had romantic interest in his teammate. Of course, he had romantic interest in just about anything with a menstrual cycle, but he wouldn't admit it. ((AN: If memory serves, Humans are the only animals that actually have this sort of reproductive system. I might be wrong, in fact, I probably am, but I just thought that was a hilarious way to describe Kiba's odd infatuation with any girl between the ages of 12 and 20… XP …Oh, and before you all get on my case about it, yes. Humans are animals. Unlike the rest however, we have egos, and don't see ourselves as such))

"Oh, umm, heheh… sorry about that..." Naruto chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Apologize to Hinata, not me…" Kiba muttered as he turned to walk away.

"Yeah…" Naruto said, standing up. "I guess I'll see you 'round Haku…"

"Yeah, bye…" Haku replied, waving slightly.

As Akamaru ran to catch up to Kiba and Naruto, who were walking back to Tazuna's, Kiba laced his fingers behind his head and sighed. "Honestly, man… about Hinata… if you don't tap that soon, I'm gonna'…"

Naruto stopped. "Wait, what?"

---

Hinata was nudged awake by Naruto, who bore an apologetic smile. "Heh… sorry about that… fell asleep training."

"N-no, it's okay, Naruto…" Hinata said, smiling. Glancing over towards her sensei, Hinata had to wonder why she was examining a bruised and bloody Kiba… She was shaken from her thoughts, however, when Akamaru jumped up onto her lap. He was conspicuously unharmed in comparison to Kiba… ((AN: If I haven't explained this already (not going back to check… too lazy) Hinata and Naruto have known each other for years, and have even gone a bit _beyond _the whole 'friends' thing… her leaving 'kun' off his name shouldn't be all that surprising, seeing as lack of an honorific signifies one is a close friend of whoever they're talking to. In fact, married couples often continue to call each other 'san', 'kun' or 'chan' despite the manner of their relationship. Hinata and Naruto are _VERY_ close, thus, no 'kun'))

"So, we have no idea when they're going to attack again?" Kurenai asked as Kakashi walked into the room.

"Nope…" Kakashi replied lazily. "Let's just keep up what we've been doing, and everything should turn out fine."

Naruto and Hinata watched as Kurenai nodded. Zabuza and his partner were still out there, and they had no idea when they were going to make their move…

---

Two days later, and Naruto had once again passed out after training his Rasengan. He'd tried not to, but he couldn't help how exhausted he felt… plus he might get to meet Haku again… Naruto still had some questions to ask the odd child…

But, unfortunately, when the morning light woke him the next day, he was alone. Groaning as he rose to his feet, Naruto made his way back to Tazuna's. The way the teams were split up was simple; four here, four there. Kakashi and Kurenai, along with two of the Genin, were stationed at the bridge during the day, while the other four Genin stayed behind to 'guard' Tazuna's residence. Truth be told, however, they did little more than continue their training…

As he walked back to the house, he curiously wondered where everyone was… If he remembered correctly, it was Sasuke and Kiba's turn to guard the bridge, leaving the question of where Shino, Sakura and Hinata were… When he reached the house, he found the door kicked in, and at first glance, it looked to be ransacked. Hearing screams inside, Naruto dashed through the open door, instinctively ripping through the side of a samurai thug with a kunai. "Who the fuck…" The other started, before having that same kunai smashed into his windpipe. Naruto didn't like being angry, but Hinata was missing, and until he knew she was safe, he didn't care what he had to do to find her.

"Now…" Naruto said, lifting the surviving mercenary up by his throat while the man was clutching his side fiercely, trying to keep his insides _inside_ him. "Where is everyone? The other shinobi that were here… Tell me now or you'll wish I'd killed you as quickly as your friend…"

The man was whimpering, sniveling, crying… honestly pathetic. "I…I don't know! I was told to grab the girl! Please don't kill me! I'll do anything, anything!"

"Nah, I don't think so…" Naruto muttered, squeezing the man's throat until he passed out, tossing him to the floor. "Here…" Naruto said, tossing a spool of ninja wire to Tsunami. "Tie him up with this. We'll question him later after I've-" Naruto stopped when he heard a noise down the hall. "Stay here…"

When Naruto made it to the 'boys' room he and the other male guests were staying in, he saw Sakura lying unconscious on the floor, and a masked shinobi holding Zabuza's zanbatou. "Hmm? You…" The faux hunter-nin said as Naruto stepped into the room.

"Where are Hinata and Shino?" Naruto asked, masking the anger in his voice, but still glaring holes in the enemy. "Why did you and those thugs attack here?"

"I have no idea where your other teammates are…" The effeminate nin said. "And as for the attack, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't give me that _bullshit_!" Naruto hissed.

"My mission here is simply to retrieve my master's sword. Their appearance here is mere coincidence." The masked ninja replied, forming a hand seal before turning to mist and flowing away.

"Mizu Shunshin…" Naruto muttered. It only took him half an instant to realize where the masked nin must've gone… the bridge. "_FUCK!!!_" Naruto roared, sprinting through the house at top speed. When he saw Inari, he slowed down for an instant to say; "Yo'! Take care of things here for me, would'ja? You're the man around here after all!" before dashing away, leaving a stunned young boy in his wake.

By the time Naruto had reached the bridge, it was all but a warzone. Kiba and Shino were facing off against two Zabuza clones, obviously formed before the return of his blade, as they lacked theirs. Kakashi and Kurenai were dealing with Zabuza, able to keep him at bay without sustaining too many injuries. What really caught Naruto's eye however, was the fact that Sasuke and Hinata were standing within a dome of ice mirrors. They were easily deflecting the hundreds of Senbon and ice needles raining down on them by using Hinata's Byakugan and Jyuuken, and apparently Sasuke's activated Sharingan…

The two of them were back-to-back. Naruto hated to admit it, but Sasuke and Hinata made a pretty good team… It didn't matter to him how strong a team they made, however. All he cared about was Hinata's safety. Naruto rushed towards the ice mirrors at full tilt, fully intent on protecting her. "Hinata!" Naruto yelled as he reached the mirrors. In the half a second it took her to shift her gaze to him, her body was punctured by dozens of needles. Sasuke, noticing this, shared a similar fate now that his back was exposed. "_HINATA!!!_" Naruto screamed, diving towards her. Naruto didn't even bother to try and hide the fact that he was crying, his shoulders shuddering with violent sobs, making noises befitting a child less than half his age as he took her fallen body in his arms. Pressing her body against his, he didn't care that several of the needles embedded in her body were now impaling him. He didn't care. Hinata was dead. As far as Naruto cared, so was he.

'_**Ne, gaki…'**_ A long forgotten voice in Naruto's mind said. Naruto didn't have the mental stability right now to force him away, and in the past year or so, he hadn't needed to. _**'What are you going to do now?' **_Naruto paid no heed to the voice, instead, he pulled Hinata away from him, the Senbon in his stomach and arms sticking slightly before remaining in Hinata's body. Looking at her face, he couldn't help but think she looked like she was sleeping… her eyes were closed, and her features were completely calm… serene… It was then that he decided; he loved her. He always had, and always would. Placing a soft kiss on her lips before gently laying her back down onto the bridge, Naruto stood, looking over to the figure in the mirrors. _**'THAT BASTARD KILLED YOUR MATE! WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT!?'**_

Again, Naruto paid no heed to Kyuubi's voice. He barely even registered that anything was talking to him. He had only one thing on his mind right now… "I… am going… _TO RIP YOU LIMB FROM LIMB!_"

Haku only had one thing to think about while watching Naruto in the following moments… _Kami… what have I done?_

Red mist-like chakra flowed over Naruto. His face grew feral, and his eyes glowed red while the chakra congealed into a single billowing tail flailing violently behind him. _**'Now that's a good boy… have fun.'**_ Kyuubi laughed maniacally within Naruto's mind. The boy was berserk, and Kyuubi had just given him enough power to wipe Wave off the map.

Within the time it took Haku to consider retreating, Naruto's tail smashed itself into the mirror Haku was currently occupying, and wrapped itself around the masked ninja. An evil smirk rose over Naruto's features as he smashed Haku through two more mirrors before they were dispelled. Naruto wanted to break _all_ of the mirrors with the nearly limp body his tail held… his fun was just ruined, and this was making him mad. Naruto plunged the now unmasked Haku into the stone railing at the far side of the bridge. Satisfied with the 'squish' and cracking of stone he heard from the body, Naruto decided to crush what was left of the one who killed his Hinata. Or rather, _would_ have if he hadn't taken his tail away to block several kunai flung at him by Zabuza.

Naruto didn't like this man. This was the superior of the now _squishy_ enemy that had killed his woman. This man, too, was going to die. Letting out a bestial roar, Naruto leapt into the air. When Zabuza saw this, and that he was the boy's target, he brought his zanbatou up to block whatever strike would come, however…

Naruto's hand passed right through Zabuza's massive blade, leaving a giant claw-mark in the side of it before plunging his claw _through_ the missing-nin's right shoulder. Grabbing the now severed arm by the wrist in his left hand, Naruto swatted Zabuza away with it like a club, letting the momentum carry the limb right over the side of the bridge as he released it. As Zabuza flew backward, he was caught from behind by Naruto's clawed right hand, and kicked back to the other side of the bridge, towards the incomplete end. Naruto appeared in front of the missing-nin once more, smashing his elbow into the man's left shoulder, instantly rendering it useless. Naruto lifted the man up by his limp arm, about to snap it in two as a spear flew through the air towards them, the blonde effortlessly knocking it out of the air with his tail. Naruto flung Zabuza back towards Kakashi and the other Konoha shinobi as he turned towards the short, fat man who'd thrown it, and the hundred or so mercenaries behind him.

This was the second time he was interrupted when he was about to deal the finishing blow. _SOMETHING_ was going to die… Naruto leapt into the air, bringing his tail and arms down on the bridge directly in front of Gato. The resulting explosion sent shrapnel into the crowd, and caused the entirety of the bridge in front of Naruto to collapse, sending the third of the mercenaries that survived, and the corpses of the others falling into the water.

When Naruto turned around, the sight that greeted him left him shocked and immovable for an instant, even in his berserk rage. Kiba and Shino, his two best friends aside from Hinata, were standing between Naruto and their respective Jounin with kunai drawn. They were both afraid, that much was clear… Akamaru was injured, and now lying unconscious beside Kurenai, leaving Kiba alone, and shaking so violently he could barely stand. He honestly looked one wry glare shy of shitting himself. Shino was less obvious, but obvious nonetheless. He too was shivering openly in fear. Naruto couldn't believe it… his friends had turned on him? Why? What had he been doing until now? And why was Hinata…

Everything came flooding back to him. Everything he did under Kyuubi's rage, every blow he struck, and the look on Hinata's face as she died… Naruto stumbled backwards as the red chakra flowed back into his seal, holding his head as if in pain before stumbling off the edge of the bridge.

The last thing Naruto knew was the cold water flowing over him…

* * *

Okay, while I was writing this chapter, I found that there's a word in my laptop's dictionary 'Kutenai' and 'Kutenai's', and since the 'R' and 'T' are right next to each other, it could wind up a typo here if I misspell Kurenai. If I do, please tell me so I can edit it. 

Another question I was asked via review was 'what is Naruto wearing?' because I never actually stated whether or not he was wearing the same damn outfit… Frankly, it's probably going to be a moot point, as I think I'll change his outfit in a few chapters… for now just assume he's wearing a significantly less outstanding _variation_ of the jumpsuit, similar to the post-timeskip canon version. (I'm just too lazy to come up with something new right now…)

Heheh… sorry about leaving off there… kinda' evil of me, eh? I thought I was gonna get further with this chapter before ending it, but this seemed like an excellent place to put a chapter break… Eh, I'll just start writing the next chapter, and see what I put where…


	6. In the Aftermath

Yay! Now everyone gets to see what happens to Haku and Zabuza! Wheee!

I'll try to make this chapter longer than most of mine, but I don't think it's going to be _NEARLY_ as long as the last one. I'll try for 4000+ words per chapter from now on instead of 2000+ like I usually do.

One thing I'd like to say regarding a review I got is that I'm really not too good at fight scenes… I'll try to do better next time, though.

And someone said that since he used a tail that makes him stronger than in canon. He IS stronger, but not that much. He used a tail because the seal is still weaker, and the Kyuubi practically FORCED his power on him, hoping Naruto would tear Wave Country to bits while he was berserk.

And my reasoning for making the fight with Haku and Zabuza so short was one simple fact that I feel is overlooked far too often; real combat doesn't last very long. Fights are usually decided in the first few blows… I don't think shinobi fights are much different. I'll try to make the next few fights longer, though.

* * *

Naruto woke the next morning wondering why his head felt like it'd been on the receiving end of Tsunade's fist. He only vaguely recalled what had transpired the past day, but what he did remember saddened and scared him. Oh well… it didn't really matter. He was obviously dead, seeing as the girl leaning over him was too… wait a second…

"_HINATA!_" Naruto yelled, leaping out of his cot and all but tackling the girl.

"N-Naruto! Are you okay?" Hinata asked, the look of surprise barely surpassing the blush on her face.

"I'm fine… what about you? I thought you were dead!" Naruto nearly yelled, tears flowing onto Hinata's jacket.

"No, I'm okay too… Haku never meant to kill us." Hinata said, realization donning on her face. "Oh yeah, I should check on her!"

"Well then… maybe I should co- _HER!?_" Naruto asked, muddling his words as he sat up. "He's a she!?"

Hinata nodded in confusion. "You… didn't know?"

"_NO_ I didn't know!" Naruto said, nearly yelling again. "How did she… I mean.. she looked close enough to being a guy…"

"Well… she was very badly wounded when I came to… and I'm probably the best healer in Wave right now… so I had to… take off a few things…" Hinata said, a slight blush on her face. "She was masking her scent with musk, and bound her chest… rather painfully in fact…"

"Painfully?" Naruto asked.

"Well… a woman… can only bind her chest so tightly before it begins to… hurt…" Hinata answered, her blush growing brighter by the second. "I've… tried…"

"Why would _you_ want to bind your chest, Hinata? You've got a grea-eh…ehhh… eheheh…" Naruto's blush easily matched Hinata's as he realized what he was about to say.

Hinata shook her head slightly, possibly trying to shake away her blush, or because she found some mirth in his words… "Naruto…" She started, trying to shift the conversation away from her chest. "Uhhm… would you like to come with me to check on her?"

"Yeah, sure!" Naruto answered.

Naruto knew why Hinata said Haku's bindings had to hurt. Her bust was nearly twice Hinata's. This was the focus of Naruto's attention for all of half an instant as he saw the condition of the rest of her body… Her left arm and both her legs were in casts, bandages covered every visible inch of her torso (aside from the small, loose shirt covering her breasts and the blanket over her waist and upper thighs) and her head was wrapped in several layers of bandages. "Wha… what happened?"

"She has a concussion, two breaks along her left arm, three in her right leg, and her left leg was nearly _gone_… severe internal damage along with eight cracked ribs, four of those simply _broke off_, and several fractures along her spinal column and hip…" Hinata said solemnly, almost glaring at the floor. "She's lucky to be alive…"

Naruto clenched his fists. _HE_ did this… it was all his fault… Hinata was perfectly fine… "What about…?" Naruto started to ask.

"Zabuza is in better condition in a _general_ sense… He's missing his right arm, and his left has fractures throughout… He also has a good number of cracked and broken ribs, but aside from that, he's fine…" Hinata answered, only to hear the missing-nin groan in his sleep. "He's just a big crybaby…"

"Hey, Hinata… You know where Aka-?" Kiba yelled as he walked into the room, instantly stopping dead when he saw the blonde standing next to her. "Oh… uh… h-hey Naru…to…" He said, waving sheepishly. If Naruto didn't know better, he'd have said Kiba was slowly backing away from them…

"Oh… hey, Kiba…" Naruto replied.

"Naruto…" Shino said, walking up behind Kiba. "We asked Kakashi-sensei and Kurenai-sensei about what happened the other day, and they told us they couldn't answer… that we had to ask you."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly before he sighed. "Hinata… you sure these two are out?" He asked, indicating Haku and Zabuza. When Hinata nodded, Naruto sat down in the seat next to Haku's bed. "Kiba... Shino… come in and shut the door." Shino walked in casually, but Kiba took it a little more seriously than he should've, and shut the door and leapt in front of Naruto. This took about a second…

"It's true, they couldn't answer y'know… It's kinda illegal to talk about it…" Naruto said, his friends' eyes widening slightly, even Shino, although you couldn't see it. "You all know about Kyuubi… right?" They nodded. "It wasn't killed… it was sealed…" Naruto lifted up his shirt, channeled a small amount of chakra to… anywhere… and showed the three of them his seal. "My birthday coincides with the attack. Irony, no?"

Silence reigned for several moments before Kiba's mutterings grew to an audible volume. "You're the… the… the…"

"I was born human then, and I'm _still_ human now, dammit…" Naruto said, lowering his shirt. "So what if I've got a demon in my gut… it doesn't make me any less _ME_…"

"So… who all knows this?" Shino asked.

"What, that I'm Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki?" Naruto asked in return, striking a 'thinking' pose. "Uhhm… about everyone eighteen or so and older…"

"DAMMIT!" Kiba roared. "My sister… she _KNEW_… and… I even asked her why everyone older than us hates you… she lied to me…"

"She kinda had to…" Naruto said. "If she _had_ told you, she would've been charged with treason, and thrown in prison… or executed…" He muttered the last part, scratching his cheek while smiling apologetically.

"Wait… then… what did she tell you?" Hinata asked.

"Well… She didn't really say anything…" Kiba muttered. "She said she didn't know…"

"And she may not have…" Shino added. "Naruto did say that there were those who did not know at all."

Kiba scoffed, internally admitting that his best friend might be right… "If you want…" Naruto muttered, almost to himself before glancing over to Kiba and speaking up. "I could ask your sister if she knows… when we get back…"

Kiba sighed. "I'd actually kinda' rather you didn't…" The Inuzuka said in an uncharacteristically solemn manner. "I think it might be better for me to just assume she didn't know than to admit she lied to me…"

Just then, then unconscious girl Hinata was treating began to stir, leaning up slightly before Kiba helped prop her up. While holding her head with her good hand, her eyes, or eye as one was covered by her hand, fluttered open and squinted at the group. "Welcome back…" Hinata said, bowing slightly and giving off a small smile.

"See? I knew you were a girl." Kiba said playfully from his spot next to her, his left arm still pressed against her back, holding her up.

"What?" Haku asked. "I'm a _boy_." This elicited curious looks from everyone in the room, and if she didn't know better, she'd have said she saw sweat forming on the side of each face she could see. Maybe her vision was impaired by the blow she took to her head… Then she saw that half of them weren't looking her in the eye any longer, but rather, _down_ at something… on her chest? Looking down, she saw what they were staring at, and her eyes grew wide… her bindings were gone. "_Don't look at me!_" She shrieked suddenly, making absolutely _no_ attempt to make her voice sound more masculine for the first time since they'd met, while covering her chest with her working arm, causing everyone in the room to jump back slightly.

"What's wrong?" Hinata asked, taking a step forward.

"Stay back… please…" Haku muttered.

"What's gotten into you, girl?" Kiba asked. "And why do you keep saying you're a boy?"

"You aren't, by chance, a transsexual, are you?" Shino asked emotionlessly while pushing his shades further up the bridge of his nose. His statement cause each of them to inch away from Haku, even Kiba seemed to be trying to put some distance between them, although he still held her up.

"No… I… I'm…" Haku started, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "I'm just an ugly, weak, _pathetic_ little girl!" She yelled, letting her tears fly free.

No one in the room knew how to respond… none of them believed any of that to be true, but only Kiba could actually _say_ anything about it… sometimes lacking the ability to think before acting had its advantages… "Pah! Weak? I bet you could beat Kurenai-sensei in a fight, and she's a _Jounin_… You're not pathetic in any way and as far as ugly goes…" Kiba leaned un closer, taking her chin in his free right hand, turning her face toward his. "I think you may be the most beautiful girl I've ever seen…"

Kiba slowly moved himself forward, trying not to move quickly enough to startle her, as Haku might not be comfortable around boys, only to find that she began leaning towards him almost imperceptibly slowly as well…

"Kiba-kun, you're a perv…" Hinata stated bluntly, her arms crossed.

Kiba and Haku both flushed red instantly when they realized that since Haku was supporting herself, Kiba had let his hand slide down lower, and was now resting on her hip, only a few hairs higher than what would leave him with a slap to the cheek. "ERK! Sorry!" Kiba yelled, pulling his arm back, and stepping just out of Haku's reach to avoid any wounds he might incur.

"But… why do you think all that?" Naruto asked. "Please tell us!"

"My… my mother…" Haku started, tearing up once more. "She was killed… by my father…"

Everyone was shocked, and stood with gaping mouths, although you couldn't tell with Shino… "That's… horrible…" Hinata muttered before Haku continued.

"If only I hadn't been… such a _pathetic _little girl… I could've…" Haku's shaking grew into violent sobs. "I could've… _saved her_…"

Once again, Kiba's complete lack of tact saved the group from an awkward silence. "Now that's a stupid reason to hate being a girl…" Haku looked up at him, tears still flowing down her cheeks. "I mean, honestly, periods or pregnancy, sure… hate away. All I've got are my mother and sister, so I know how hard those can be on _everyone_…" Kiba added, shuddering at the memories.

"Uhhm… you know all about pregnancy? But… you're the youngest, aren't you?" Hinata asked curiously.

"Well… my family breeds dogs… and my sister's a vet…" Kiba muttered. "I get enough pregnancy without the 'human' kind…"

"Aren't we forgetting the important thing, here?" Naruto asked. "…Haku?"

"Oh, right…" Kiba muttered, sitting right behind Haku on her cot, his left hand resting on her left shoulder, causing her to blush slightly. What surprised both of them however was how Haku closed the hand of her functional right arm around the back of Kiba's right hand, lacing their fingers together. It was obvious to everyone in the room except the two in question that Haku was in need of physical reassurance of her wellbeing, and Kiba was simply the best option.

This didn't last long, however, as Haku saw the second injured person in the room, previously blocked from her view by Kiba. "Zabuza-sama!" She yelled, trying to leap toward him with what was left of her strength, only to be held back by Kiba.

"He's not dead! Don't worry about him." Kiba said, trying to reassure her, and failing miserably.

"He's missing an _arm_, how can he be _fine_!?" Haku scoffed loudly.

"I never _said_ 'fine' did I?" Kiba said, Akamaru barking in agreement from the doorway, having just found his way back to his partner.

"Why hasn't he woken up yet?"

"He lost a lot of blood…" Hinata answered Haku's question. "He should be out for another day or two."

"When _are_ we heading back to Konoha anyway? Should be around then, right?" Kiba asked.

"We leave when the bridge is finished." Shino replied.

"Then why aren't _we_ helping? I want to get home…" Kiba said, looking down at Haku's hand, still wrapped around his own.

"What'll happen to us, then?" Haku asked, indicating herself and Zabuza.

"You'll come too…" Naruto answered. "Assuming you're who you say you are, there's a wide range of things that the council might do… I'd put my money on selling the both of you to Kiri, though."

"…Selling?" Haku asked.

"Erm… returning you for the bounties on your heads…" Naruto said, lacing his fingers behind his head and looking off in no direction in particular.

"So… we're going to be executed then, huh?" Haku asked, new tears forming in her eyes, and running down her cheeks.

"Probably…" Naruto answered. "Sorry, but that's just what's probably going to happen…"

"No way…" Kiba muttered, before barking out his next words; "No fucking way are we going to let them just _kill _her!"

Seeing the blush that formed on Haku's face, Naruto sighed, and thought for a moment. "Haku… do you have a Kekkei Genkai?" At her nod, Naruto continued. "And what is it, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Erm… control over water… I use it to make the ice for my jutsu…" Naruto smiled, and began rummaging through his pockets.

Eventually, he brought out a small flask that looked suspiciously like those used by their elders to hold liquor, thus gaining Naruto a few quizzical looks. "What? It's water…" Naruto said, tossing it to Haku, who caught it in her good hand. "You never know when the canteen will run out, so I always have a spare…" Turning to Haku and Kiba, he smirked. "Now, if you wouldn't mind a demonstration…"

Haku looked between Naruto and the flask a few times before handing it to Kiba with an apologetic grin. After that Inuzuka boy opened it, and held it back to her. She held her hand over the mouth of the flask for a moment before slowly raising it, a small stream of water following close behind. When all of the water had been evacuated from the container, she turned her palm upward, and the water formed into a ball and slowly turned to ice, falling into her hand. "See?" She muttered, tossing it to Naruto.

"Yeah… that's pretty cool…" Naruto said while examining the ice sphere. "No way Konoha's just _handing you over_ now…"

"Really!?" Kiba yelled.

"Yup… Haku, are you by any chance the _last_ of your clan?" Naruto continued his questionnaire.

She looked to be deep in thought for a moment before answering; "Yes, I believe so…"

"No way in _hell_ Konoha's letting her go, then…" Naruto said, excitement flushing through the room only to be crushed by his next words. "If nothing else, she'll be used as a breeder for her Kekkei Genkai…"

"A… breeder?" Haku asked, her face pale.

"Sad, I know… but I wouldn't put it past those bastards on the council…" Naruto muttered, crossing his arms, closing his eyes, and leaning his head forward as if looking at the floor.

"Hey, my _MOM_ is on that council!" Kiba snapped.

"I said _bastards, _didn't I? Your mom doesn't count…" Naruto responded, never leaving his 'pose'.

"Erm… my father is on the council as well…" Hinata said shyly.

"As is mine…" Shino muttered.

"Okay, okay… so I didn't mean _EVERYONE _on the damn council, okay?" Naruto whined. "Besides, I know old man Sarutobi _personally_. I've got a few strings I can pull…"

"Old man… Sarutobi?" Haku asked, quite confused.

"Sandaime Hokage-sama…" Hinata answered, causing Haku's eyes to widen significantly. "He and Naruto are quite close…"

"How did we get _here_ from 'I wanna go home'?" Kiba groaned.

"So, why not help the people finish the bridge, then?" Hinata asked. "It'd go by far more quickly…"

"YES!!!" Kiba barked. "Okay, Naruto and you guys can go, I'll keep an eye on Haku and… erm…"

"Zabuza-sama…" Haku said, her left eye twitching slightly.

"Right… if there's any trouble I'll send Akamaru over right away to get you guys." Kiba said, and the others nodded and reluctantly left to aid in the repairs. "So, now that we're alone, why don't we get to know each other a little better?"

Haku blushed. "I… uhm… I don't think I'm ready for _that_ yet…"

Kiba easily matched her hue. "MNEH!? I was talking about actually getting to know you! Favorite colors and books and other shit like that, not… _THAT_…"

"Oh… well… I'm sorry…" Haku said, fidgeting as she turned herself away from him. "I've never really _talked _about myself before…"

"Well, let's start with where you're from, eh?" Kiba smiled, turning Haku back towards him, showing that she was smiling as well.

---

It took them a total of eight days to finish building the bridge. The first order of business was dismantling the section of the bridge Naruto damaged when he killed Gato and his mercenaries, as well as repairing the minor damage incurred in the other battles. Naruto's Kage Bunshin and Shino's Kage Kikai easily made up the time lost alongside the hundred yards or so of bridge Naruto destroyed… after the workers got used to all the bugs, that is… Needless to say, Kakashi and Kurenai simply passed it off as 'physical training', with Kiba staying back every day to spend more time with Haku. Since she continually requested he stay, they didn't see much problem in it. After about five days, Haku's injuries healed to the point where she could accompany them to the bridge, leaving Kiba without an excuse to shirk his own share of the labor. Zabuza himself was conscious by the time they returned that day, as _someone_ had forgotten to give him his sedatives as he left with Haku that morning, and the old missing-nin insisted on accompanying them on their daily trek to the bridge as well. Surprisingly, it was Haku and Zabuza who laid the final stone for the bridge… Tazuna had an odd love for irony, to say the least…

"There… done…" Haku muttered, breathing heavily.

"Well done." Tazuna said, glancing between the young woman and the one-armed missing-nin. "So, do you two have any ideas as to the name we should give the bridge? It _does_ need one, after all…"

"_The Great Kiba Bridge!_" They heard from somewhere within the crowd, causing Haku to giggle softly.

"Heh… I think someone deserves it a little more than mutt-boy…" Zabuza said, smirking under his bandages as he turned to Tazuna. "Who helped the most in the construction of this bridge? Not simply building the thing… who did the most to make it happen?"

"I do believe it would be young Naruto…" Tazuna said, just loud enough for each of the ninja present to overhear.

"What, why me?" Naruto asked.

"So… Naruto…" Tazuna muttered, turning to the blonde. "What should we call it?"

Naruto was dumbstruck for a moment, before turning around, facing the road they were to take back to Konoha, and struck a thinking pose. '_Naruto'? No… too tacky naming it after myself would make me look egotistical, so that and 'Uzumaki' are out… I could name it after Hinata… or maybe Haku? She deserves it… I still think I should-_ And then it hit him… it was so perfect he could barely keep himself from laughing… "Kazama…" Naruto said as he started walking forward, and stepped off of the bridge.

Tazuna thought for a second, "The Great Kazama Bridge, eh? It _does_ have a nice ring to it…"

Kurenai could barely contain her mirth when she heard it, clapping her hand over her mouth in a failing attempt to keep quiet. She was, after all, one of the few people privy to the knowledge of Naruto's lineage… she doubted even Kakashi, the boy's father's student, knew his parentage. After the initial shock of it wore off, Kakashi asked, "What's so funny?"

Kurenai thought for a moment, before leaning towards him and whispering in his ear. Kakashi's one visible eye shot wider than it had ever been as realization donned on him. _By Kami… it makes so much SENSE!_ After about half a minute of imitating a statue, Kakashi too could barely keep his laughter bottled up. _So, he named it after himself after all, huh?_

"What's so funny?" Nearly all of the Genin asked at once.

"We'll tell you when you're older…" Kakashi said, giving them a general 'you'll find out on your own' excuse.

---

A few hours later, and the scene looked quite similar to the one when they were travelling _to_ Wave… Naruto and Hinata were lost in their own little world, conversing about anything and everything, Sakura was doting on Sasuke, Kakashi and Kurenai were comparing the progress of their respective teams, Haku was giggling at something Kiba was telling her, and that left Shino walking next to Zabuza in the rear. "Tell me…" Zabuza muttered. "What do you know about the Inuzuka boy?"

Shino's eyes wandered over to Zabuza, and followed his gaze to Kiba and Haku. "I'd surmise… nothing she hasn't told you already." Shino answered, looking straight ahead once more.

Zabuza nodded as he remembered what had transpired only two days prior…

_Haku was sitting at the side of the bridge, as she always was, wearing a rather loose yukata borrowed from Tsunami. "Haku… you've changed…" Zabuza muttered, sitting down next to her._

"_Erm… Zabuza-sama! I… don't know what you mean…" Haku said sheepishly._

"_Your chest…" Zabuza said, causing Haku to blush slightly. "You've left it unbound…"_

"_My apologies, Zabuza-sama… I will return to the house and do so immediately…" Haku said, her voice cold and monotonous, before standing up and preparing to walk away._

"_Wait…" Zabuza muttered. "I merely noted a change, and wondered what had brought it about… you need do no such thing."_

"_Well… I… erm…" Haku muttered as she sat back down._

"_Have you done so to attract the eye of a young man?"_

_Haku flushed red. "N-no! I just… I didn't feel like doing it today…"_

_Zabuza smirked. "I knew this day would come… I never thought it would be before my death, however… but I had wondered…"_

"_Zabuza-sama?"_

"_You are finally growing into who you were meant to be…" Zabuza said, almost chuckling. "When I see you like this, it reminds me that you are just another girl… no matter how thoroughly I train you to be a weapon, you'll always be that same little girl deep inside…"_

"_Zabuza-sama… please, don't speak like that… we'll-"_

"_Haku… 'we' are over. A broken man like me has no use for a weapon, no matter how powerful that weapon is…" Zabuza sighed heavily before continuing. "I can't stop you from doing anything, nor tell you what to do any longer. I do have one question, however… if you would permit me to ask it." At Haku's vigorous nod, Zabuza spoke; "What has made you change so much?"_

_Haku blushed. "K-Kiba… Zabuza-sama… Inuzuka Kiba."_

"_I knew it was a boy…" Zabuza smiled broadly, more than enough so for even the average civilian to see it from under his bandages… "Which one is he?"_

_Haku giggled. "The loud-mouth with the dog…"_

He had to admit, it felt good to hear her laugh and giggle as she did now… Then he remembered what happened next, and outright chuckled…

"_I guess I'll have to forgo my plan to kill the brats and escape then, huh? Seeing as you're dating one of them…" Zabuza said, causing Haku to blush a shade of red the man hadn't even thought possible._

---

When they'd finally arrived at the gates of Konoha, no sooner than stepping foot within the gate, two ANBU squads encircled them. "By order of Hokage-sama, Momochi Zabuza and his accomplice are to be imprisoned immediately until further notice…" The leader stated. "For the safety of the village…"

* * *

Wow, huh? Yeah… I think I did good with this one, AND I hit my 4K+ mark. (AN included, of course…)

My apologies to everyone who had expected something else, only to be disappointed by this chapter… I honestly don't care, seeing as this is how I had intended for the fight and such to go from practically the start of the fic, but still, I hate letting people down…


	7. Peace Talks

Yeeeeip. New chapter… I hope you liked the last one, and I hope I'm getting better at interesting, yet not overpowering cliffhangers…

Now, I'll admit, I've got a few points I'm wanting to get to, and I _might_ get a little overzealous and wind up skipping something… Anyway, the biggest problem I think I'm going to have is the Chuunin exams, because I really don't have much of anything planned for that, so just bear with it and tough it out, it'll get done eventually…

Oh, and one more thing… I've always been slightly annoyed by the fact that no one seems to know what masks ANBU wear… they just say some random animal, and leave it at that. This is not the case however, as ANBU masks are based on the Chinese Zodiac (Boar, Rat, Ox, Tiger, Hare, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Ram, Monkey, Rooster, and Dog) the twelve standard hand seals are _also_ named for these twelve animals. (I say 'standard' because there are dozens of other seals, but those are usually used in clan Jutsu, like the Yamanaka signature seal. The Nara seal however, is 'Rat', a standard seal. So you can see all sorts of use for them, ne?) The 'Bear' mask I keep reading about in other fics is probably 'Rat' if they saw it in the manga or anime. (similar ears, after all…)

My excuse for how Haku's injuries could've healed enough for her to walk in such a short time? Hinata is one seriously fucking awesome medic (Almost at Shizune's level) ON WITH THE CHAPTER!

* * *

"_ARRESTED!?_" Kiba roared.

"Yes, arrested." The ANBU answered. "This is effective immediately… Any Konoha nin who defies this order will be charged as an accomplice and imprisoned as well."

"I don't care…" Kiba muttered, eliciting a curious glance from the ANBU captain, although none could see it through the oddly reptilian mask he wore. "Akamaru!"

When Kiba called his Name, the faithful dog jumped out of his partner's jacket, taking a fighting stance alongside him. Oddly enough, neither attacked, as a firm hand was placed on Kiba's shoulder… "Eight ANBU are a little much for a single Genin and his dog to take, ne?" Zabuza asked, blatant sarcasm riddling his voice. When Kiba was about to pull away from him, the missing-nin pulled him closer and whispered into his ear. "I know you like Haku, but don't do anything _stupid_, okay brat?"

Kiba pulled his shoulder from Zabuza's grip, before putting on an obviously forced smile and asking; "Can I at least keep her company in there?"

"No." The lead ANBU answered. "Our holding cells aren't _hotels_; you can't just request to be put there…"

Kiba sighed and let a depressed look flow over his features. He took a few moping steps before he heard barking and looked towards the source… Akamaru was sitting next to Haku's feet, wagging his tail vigorously while giving off the dog equivalent of a 'foxy grin'.

"What about him?" Kiba asked, turning back to the ANBU. "Can she take my dog with her?"

The ANBU captain glanced over towards his subordinates, most of which either shrugged or nodded. "I suppose that would be acceptable… I assume this would keep _you_ out of trouble, wouldn't it, Inuzuka?" Kiba nodded at this, smirking slightly.

"Ne, ANBU-san… would you mind if we were to accompany you in your escort of the prisoners?" Kakashi said lackadaisically as ever.

"Hai, Kakashi-senpai, this is acceptable…" The ANBU leader said, giving the cyclopean shinobi a curt nod before he began leading them through the streets at a civilian pace.

"Senpai?" Kiba asked.

"Kakashi-sensei is ex-ANBU… Used to be a rather high rank, if memory serves…" Naruto muttered.

"If I might ask, Kakashi-senpai…" One of the ANBU in the back started. "Where did you get that sword?"

He'd honestly been carrying it so long he forgot it was there… Reaching back with his right hand to confirm he still had it, Kakashi replied; "This is Momochi Zabuza's weapon. He was in no condition to carry it himself, thus I did so."

"You would trust the man with his own weapons?" The ANBU captain asked as he and the other seven ANBU stopped.

"Simply because he is currently unable to _use_ said weapon properly…" Kakashi answered.

"And her?" Another ANBU asked.

Kurenai stepped forward and placed a hand on Haku's shoulder. "I don't think we have to worry about Kiba's little girlfriend, do we?" She said, winking towards the boy in question.

"What are you talking about!?" Kiba yelled. Of course, he knew _exactly_ what she was talking about, blushing as he thought back to it…

"_Hey, Haku…" Kiba muttered, seeing they were alone in the room, save for an unconscious Zabuza, as the others had already gone to the bridge for the day._

"_Yes, Kiba?"_

"_I was… kinda' wondering…" Kiba muttered, blushing slightly. "If, after we get all this sorted out, would you go out with me sometime?"_

_Haku flushed red, looking toward the wall in embarrassment. "Uhhm… sure…" She answered._

_Unbeknownst to the pair, Kurenai was watching from the hallway as Kiba jumped in his own brand of overzealous excitement. She'd come back to check on them, but they seemed to be doing fine… She smirked and disappeared a moment later._

Kiba's blush didn't go unnoticed by Haku, who blushed in turn. _Damn…_Kiba thought. _She overheard that, didn't she?_

The group continued forward at a slightly increased pace. "There will be an intensive search of each of their persons upon their arrival at their respective holding areas." The leader stated.

"Wait…" Kiba muttered, jogging up behind the ANBU captain. "You're just going to have some _guy_ strip Haku down and feel her up!?" He barked angrily.

The ANBU sighed. "You have my assurances that Haku-san's examiner will be _female_…"

"Tch… right…" Kiba muttered, slowing his pace and returning to his previous stride beside Haku.

"Don't worry Kiba…" Haku started, putting on the best smile she could force without looking fake as she took his hand. "I'll be fine."

---

It took longer than planned to reach their destination. Of course, the ANBU _had_ planned on using Shunshin to travel… Either way, preparations were already made for their arrival, and with a small wave and smile from Haku, rather thick-looking doors slammed shut between the ANBU, Zabuza and Haku and the eight who'd accompanied them here.

"We need a plan…" Kiba said.

"Idiot… I already _HAVE_ a plan!" Naruto snapped, "We'll use _politics_ to get Haku out of this."

Each of the other seven looked at Naruto in a dumbfounded gaze. It was a good half a minute before Kiba asked "How?"

Naruto sighed. "Most of us here have _some_ relation or connection to _someone_ on the council, right? Kiba, you talk to your mom, Hinata and Shino, you talk to your fathers, Sasuke could make an appeal in front of the _whole damn council_…" Sasuke scoffed at this, earning him a slap to the back of his head from Kurenai. "And I can talk to the Hokage." Naruto turned towards his cyclopean teacher, "Kakashi-sensei, the Hatake clan used to have a spot on the council, right?"

Kakashi sighed and nodded. "There hadn't been anyone to fill the seat since my grandfather passed away, so when my father died, the Hatake clan was simply _dropped_ from the council with me being the only member left…" Kakashi said, sensing the questions that would follow, he continued. "Only a 'reserve' duty ninja can sit at his or her clan's seat on the council. If active-duty nin were allowed seats on the council, nearly a third of the council would be gone on missions at any given day, causing every other kind of chaos imaginable… True, able-bodied reserve ninja are occasionally called away on an A or S-Rank mission, however this is infrequently enough to be allowed."

"That's why my mom, Shino's dad, and Hinata's dad are able to be on the council without being retired, right?" Kiba asked, and Kakashi nodded.

"In order to gain a seat on the council, I would have to have either fifteen blood relations, ten blood relatives and a clan Hijutsu, or five blood relatives and a Kekkei Genkai in order to apply for a spot, and even then, it'd have to pass the council's vote." Kakashi continued. "Sasuke _should_ have to go through this same process, however I highly doubt the council would force the _Uchiha_ to do so…"

"Alright, then… everyone know what to do?" Naruto asked, and Hinata, Kiba, and Shino all nodded. "Then get to it!" Naruto said, and the three dashed away. "Kurenai-sensei, Kakashi-sensei… If you're up to it, I want you to try and get as many supporters to Haku's cause as you can."

"We were _going_ to do that anyway, Naruto-kun…" Kurenai said, smiling and winking at the blonde before disappearing in a flurry of leaves.

"Yeah, okay Naruto…" Kakashi said, pulling out a small orange book and walking away.

"What about us?" Sakura asked, obviously meaning her and Sasuke.

"…What _about_ you?" Naruto asked. "If you _can_ help, _do_… That's all I can really think of to say…"

"Hey, what do you mean by that!?" Sakura yelled, only to see that Naruto and Sasuke were already walking away. "Sasuke-kun!?" She yelled, chasing after him.

_Good… finally alone again…_ Naruto thought. _I'd better go see the old man…_ Jumping over the rooftops of his home village, Naruto soon found himself at his destination; the Hokage tower. Rushing up the stairs, and right past the receptionist just as he always did, shouting a short apology before barging straight through the doors to the Hokage's office. "OLD MAN, WE NEED TO TALK!" Naruto yelled.

Sarutobi cocked an eyebrow as a _very_ confused team ten gawked at him. "Naruto… I'm glad to see you're back, but can't it wait a few minutes?"

"Erm… my apologies, Hokage-sama…" Naruto said, giving a curt bow. "I'll wait for you to finish with… whatever's going on." He added, turning around.

Sarutobi sighed. "Wait, Naruto…" The blonde smirked before turning around with a confused look on his face. "You calling me 'Hokage-sama' must mean something's seriously wrong…"

"We'll leave you two be, and we'll come back in a while to give our mission report." Asuma said, turning to leave.

"'Mission report'? We pulled _WEEDS_! What the hell is there to _report_ about that!?" Ino yelled as she followed her sensei toward the door.

"Actually…" Naruto said, turning to Team Ten. "I could use _your_ help with this too…" _Akimichi, Yamanaka and Nara… all three have seats on the council too! SCORE!_ Naruto thought to himself.

"Hmm? What for?" Ino asked.

"Well, erm…" Naruto started, "Could you shut the door?"

Still quite confused, Asuma complied, shutting the door as he and his team walked back up to the Hokage's desk. "Now, Naruto, what is this about?" The elder Sarutobi asked.

"Well… I've got this… friend, you see…" Naruto started.

"Awww!" Ino cooed, "You've got a crush on a girl, and need advice, right?"

Naruto glanced back at her like she was ridden with some sort of plague. "What are you talking about!? Me and Hinata are doing just _FINE_, dammit!" Naruto only realized what he'd said _after_ he said it, and got the distinct urge to smash his head through Sarutobi's desk.

Ino gave Naruto a look the blonde boy would never forget… it scared him _that_ much… She was _WAY_ too happy about this. "Oh. My. God. _You and Hinata!?_" Ino squeaked, barely able to keep herself contained at the news. "You and her make _such_ a cute couple! Ohhhh… I wish _I_ could be part of a cute couple like you two… Hey I know! Let's go out on a double-date sometime!"

Naruto looked dumbfounded at this girl's ability to talk… did she even _NEED_ air!? "Erm… don't you have to have a boyfriend to go out on a double-date with someone?" Naruto asked.

Ino thought for a moment… he was right. She WAS lacking in the boyfriend department… "Eh, Shikamaru will go." She said, shrugging.

"You and Shikamaru!?" Naruto asked, choking on his own words.

"Tch, no way… he's just too lazy to say no, and I want to see what you two are like on a date." She said playfully. Shikamaru sighed, muttering something Naruto couldn't hear, but he was sure it had to do with 'troublesome girls'.

"Yeah, sure… first we kinda' need to _have_ a date… we haven't gone out yet…" Naruto muttered, shaking away his thoughts. "But that's not the point! I'm not here about Hinata!"

"Oh? Then what is it? Some sort of _looooove_ scandal?" Ino asked, leaning toward Naruto suggestively. Ino was the biggest gossip in their class… Naruto already screwed himself over saying he and Hinata were getting together…

"Is it about that girl from Kiri, perhaps?" Sandaime asked.

"Erm… yes." Naruto answered, looks of confusion flowing over Team Ten. "Me and Team Eight, along with our Jounin, are trying to get the council to let her stay here in Konoha."

The old man frowned. "You know that is practically impossible, correct?" He asked, causing Naruto to smirk.

"Nope, it isn't…" Naruto said, his smirk widening into a grin. "We're not trying to get people to help her _stay_ in Konoha, exactly, just the condition in which she _does_ stay…" This had even the Hokage confounded. "She has a Kekkei Genkai."

Both Sarutobi men scowled. They knew what the council would try to do to her if they caught wind of this… "Naruto… you know that-"

"The council would either make a breeder out of her, or just _take_ what they need and use other women as surrogates in order to obtain a clan with said abilities." Naruto finished the Hokage's sentence, much to the old man's surprise.

"That's _horrible_!" Ino yelled.

"Yeah… which is exactly why we're trying to get every council member we can on her side." Naruto said. "Kiba, Hinata and Shino are already trying to get their parents to back this, and Kakashi-sensei and Kurenai-sensei are out trying to find help we Genin can't get." When Naruto said Kurenai's name, Asuma perked up slightly, easily noticed by the elder Sarutobi. "So, I was kinda' wondering if you'd try to help too…"

The aged Hokage stood up from his chair, smiling down at the boy. "I'll do what I can…"

"I'll help too!" Ino yelled. "Dad's sure to help!" After a moment of silence, she smashed an elbow into each of her teammates kidneys as she stood between them.

"Yeah, okay! I'll help too!" Chouji yelled, trying to fend off a second attack.

Shikamaru groaned; "How troublesome… fine, I'll do it." Ino smiled broadly, practically glowing with pride.

"Okay, now I've got to go…" Naruto said, before muttering as he left. "And make sure Hiashi won't kill me for dating his daughter…"

Shikamaru scoffed when he heard this, Chouji and Asuma chuckled slightly, Ino giggled, but Sarutobi was different… he merely smiled knowingly as he watched the young blonde boy walk out of his office. _If only you knew…_ The old man thought.

---

Kiba was trying to steady his breathing as he stood in front of his door. _Okay, okay… no need to tell mom I've got a date with Haku if she gets out of this, eh? No pressure… no pressure at all…_ he thought.

"What's up with you?" Kiba heard from behind him, swiftly turning on his heel to see his sister standing in front of him. "You look just like that kid who's cat I had to put down…" Looking him over, she saw his jacket was suspiciously empty… "Wait… where's Akamaru?" She asked, grabbing her brother by the shoulders. "Did something happen to him!?"

"No, dammit! Akamaru's fine!" Kiba yelled, wrenching himself from Hana's grasp. "He's with Haku!"

"Who's Haku? Is he a friend of yours?" Hana asked, backing away from him slightly.

"_SHE_ happens to be a friend of mine who's in a lot of trouble, and I was _trying_ to figure out how to ask mom for help before you showed up!" Kiba yelled, turning back towards the door in a huff.

Unseen to him, his sister lit up cheerfully before wrapping her arms around her little brother, putting him into the 'Inuzuka death grip' she was known for. "Awww! My little brother finally found a girl to make him a man!"

"_WHAT!?_" Kiba roared, trying desperately to break free of her grasp.

She tightened her grip. "You didn't try anything _freaky _with her, did you? _Doggy-style_ maybe!?" If she could've seen Kiba's face, she'd realize how utterly horrified the boy was that she'd even _suggest_ such a thing.

"_WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?_" Kiba barked, his vigorous attempts at freedom redoubling tenfold.

"I'll tell you, _MY_ first time was awkward enough… You do _NOT_ try freaky shit like that until the third fuck, _GOT IT!?_"

Finally breaking free from his sister's clutches, Kiba jumped back several feet, unfortunately, straight into the door. "What the _FUCK_ is wrong with you!? I am _NOT _sleeping with HAKU!"

"Waaait…" Hana grinned evilly. "Your little Haku wouldn't happen to be a _boy_…?"

"…Tch… no." Kiba muttered, trying to keep himself from either dropping dead from embarrassment or lashing out at his sister. Like it or not, Kiba knew he couldn't win in a brawl with his older sister.

"Haku _is_ a boy's name…" Hana continued, now pacing around Kiba accusingly.

"Would you please just stop and let me talk to mom?" Kiba sounded defeated and even slightly _depressed _as he asked this, causing his sister to sigh and open the door.

"Okay, I'll stop teasing you about your girlfriend…" She said with an apologetic grin.

"Not my girlfriend…" Kiba muttered as he passed Hana on his way into their home. "MOM! You here? I have to talk to you about something!"

"What's wrong?" Tsume asked, having just walked into the room to find her son in a fury.

"He's got a girlfriend." Hana chimed happily.

"She's _NOT_ my _girlfriend_!!!" Kiba roared in response.

"I think it's time we gave him _the talk_." Hana added, her mother jumping up cheerfully before running down the hall to fetch something.

"_WHAT!?_" Kiba spat. "I don't need any sort of _talk_… wait, mom! _NOOOO!_"

---

Inoichi jumped up so fast when Ino burst through the door into their living quarters within the Yamanaka flower shop, that his knees hit the table he was sitting at, spilling what appeared to be a late brunch. "_Daddy!_" She shrieked.

"Y-yes, princess?" He asked, rubbing his sore knees before scooting his chair back from the table and beginning a search for cleaning utensils. "What's wrong?"

"_EVERYTHING_ is wrong!" Ino yelled. "They're going to do all sorts of horrible things to that girl if we don't help!"

The blonde man stopped for a moment and looked on in a confound stupor at his young daughter. "Who's doing… what girl?" He asked.

"The girl that Sasuke-kun's team brought back! She wants to stay in Konoha, but they're not going to let her! Hokage-sama says they'll do… awful things to her for her Kekkei Genkai if the council doesn't vote for her rights!" Ino yelled, gasping for breath after her short rant.

"A Kekkei Genkai, huh? Then… that means they'll want to make her a breeder then?" Inoichi asked rhetorically, fingering his chin in a 'thinking' pose. "Then you want me to do what I can with my position on the council?"

"Exactly!" Ino yelled again. "We've already got Hokage-sama and a few others on her side, and my team and a lot of our classmates are trying to get their folks to help too!"

At her father's nod, Ino leapt at him, entrapping him in a warm embrace. "Thank you, daddy…"

---

"Daaaad…" Called the young Akimichi boy as he walked through the door into his home, "Ino's gonna kill me if you don't help with something council-related." He added casually.

"Well, what is it?" Chouza asked from his seat in their living room. Most people wouldn't understand the sight of a bored Akimichi sharpening a kunai while perusing a cookbook, but most people never got the chance to see it.

"Something about some… foreign girl." Chouji muttered as he plopped down unceremoniously next to his father. "Naruto and them brought her back, and I think she wants to stay, but there's some legal thing that she'd need to get sent back to... wherever it was… Kiri for." It took him a moment to remember all the little details he could, since he wasn't really an active participant in the conversation, but eventually he managed to piece together the general story.

Chouza paused for a moment, thinking over his son's words. "And you want me to side with her whenever this comes up in the meetings, right?"

"Yeeeup." Chouji muttered.

After a moment of silence, the elder Akimichi asked; "So, you hungry?"

Chouji gave the man at his side a confused look before tilting his head and nodding.

"Okay then, _to Ichiraku's!_" Chouza yelled, leaping up from his seat and speeding out the door, his son trailing right behind him.

---

Shikamaru casually strolled through his home, on his way to the kitchen. "Hey dad, just nod and go along with whatever Chouza and Inoichi say at the next meeting." He muttered, grabbing a water bottle and walking back out of the house, receiving a grunt of acknowledgement from the elder Nara (who was laying on the couch, reading a book) on his way out.

---

Hinata was frozen in front of her father's office, her hand a mere inch from the door. She had no idea how her father would react to her asking to help a _missing-nin_ of all people. Well, the apprentice of one, but that still counted, right?

"Hinata?" She heard, spinning around to face the speaker, she found none other than her own mother standing right in front of her. "What's wrong, you look a little pale… more so than usual, I might add."

_Oh yeah… I also have to ask father not to kill Naruto for dating me…_ She thought. _No pressure_. "I… it's n-nothing, mother."

"Okay, now I _know_ something's wrong." The elder Hyuuga muttered with a wide smile. "You haven't stuttered with me in months."

Hinata blushed brightly. The last time she'd stuttered when talking to her mother was after being caught with Naruto, and had what they were doing explained in _excruciating _detail. She couldn't finish a single sentence to the woman without stuttering for a week after that. "Really! It's nothing, I just need to ask father to help a friend of mine at the next council meeting." Hinata said after calming her nerves to the point where she was fairly confident she could finish each word. "We met her in Wave, and she's probably going to be tried as a criminal unless we get enough people on the council on her side…"

Hikari sighed. "Okay, Hinata. I'll talk to your father while you go and rest up from your mission. You look tired." When her daughter let out a long sigh of relief, Hikari smirked sadistically. "And after you get done with your nap, we can talk about _Naruto_."

Hinata tensed her entire form, eyes shooting wide in shock. "I-I-I-I-I have n-no idea what you're t-t-talking about!" She said.

"Oh come now…" Her mother chuckled, folding her arms over her chest. "Kurenai came _straight here_ after she left."

Hinata gave the wall a glare that could melt steel. _I'm going to GET her for this…_ she thought, before sighing in resignation and muttering; "Yes, mother…" and trudging off to her room.

Hikari scratched the side of her cheek in embarrassment. _I think I'm having a little too much fun at Hinata's expense… maybe I should go see a psychologist about that._ She thought before walking into her husband's office.

---

Sasuke stood leaning against the archway that marked the entrance to the Uchiha compound. _That bastard better not be late…_ He thought, going over what'd transpired that day over and over again in his mind.

_Sasuke was sitting on the edge of the bridge while Kakashi pulled the various darts from his body. "You know…" Kakashi started. "Now that you've activated your Sharingan, you and I are going to be seeing a lot more of each other."_

"_What do you mean, old man?" Sasuke muttered angrily before letting out a yelp as Kakashi twisted a particular needle during its removal._

"_I am not old…" Kakashi stated lazily as he went to work on another needle; this time flawlessly extracting it from his arm. "And I mean that since I'm the last person with a Sharingan that's willing to train you…"_

_Sasuke scoffed. "Like I need training from the likes of y-OW!…"_

_Kakashi held up the needle he rent from Sasuke's shin, examining the blood coating it. "Oh, I think you do." He muttered, tossing it into a pile with the others. "And apparently, so does the council."_

"_The council?" Sasuke asked._

"_Yes, Sasuke; the council that governs all non-military matters in Konoha…" Kakashi sighed. "For some reason, Sandaime Hokage-sama felt the need to place you on Kurenai's team at the last minute, and was only allowed to do so by the council under the condition that once you'd activated your Sharingan, your training would then fall under my jurisdiction."_

"_Why would those pompous old fools decide…" Sasuke started, pausing as Kakashi glanced up at him while fingering a particularly painful looking needle._

"_The council pushes its way into military matters, which are solely under the Hokage's authority, about eight or nine times a decade… They obviously felt you were of some major importance, and thus they pulled a few strings to make sure you train under me, no matter who your sensei is." Kakashi said as he went about removing the last of the needles. "So you'd better get used to the extra training. Every day, after your training with Team Eight, you will meet me at the entrance to the Uchiha grounds to begin your Doujutsu training."_

Sasuke still hated the cyclopean bastard… but he had a point. He _could_ learn a few things from Kakashi. If he ever showed up, that is…

"Ohayo…" Kakashi muttered as he strolled up to the gate, orange book in hand.

"About damn time…" Sasuke growled.

"I had a few things to do regarding Haku and Zabuza… After all, Naruto _did_ have a point about helping them." Kakashi explained lazily. "Now, before we begin, I'd like to request that you try to do what you can in the matter as well…"

"Why should I?" Sasuke grumbled.

"If you help, then I'll show you to the secret Uchiha vault my friend Obito and I used to play in as kids." Sasuke's eyes nearly jumped from their sockets as the man spoke. "Of course, I'm sure you'd find it on your own… eventually."

"Tch… _Fine!_ I'll do it!" Sasuke yelled. "Now what about the _training!?_"

"That starts… now." Kakashi said before snapping his book shut, and sending the boy flying four meters back with a simple kick.

---

Kiba was frozen. Simply frozen in fear and horror… His mother had brought out _CHARTS._ Not just that, but charts and _graphs_. If there were any way he could've been more embarrassed, his sister was always there to oblige. The only thing that saved him from a complete mental breakdown was the fact that his mother had objected to Hana _stripping down_ to explain the female body in greater detail. Needless to say, his eye now had an incurable twitch to it.

"And that's how Inuzuka men are… _different_ from most men." Tsume concluded finally.

"Hey, be glad she didn't give you the run-down on _Inuzuka_ _women _instead of women in _general._" Hana interjected, leaning over his shoulder from behind him. "_MY_ 'talk' was at least twice as long as yours."

Kiba's twitch redoubled once more. "I think…" He started, standing as he made his way towards their bathroom. "…I'm gonna throw up now."

"Okay, then! More room for dinner, eh!?" Tsume called cheerfully, earning her a _very_ disgruntled groan from her son.

"Well… that kinda' defeated the point of his visit, eh?" Hana muttered, catching her mother's attention.

"What was that, dear?" The elder Inuzuka woman asked.

"His girlfriend is in trouble with the law or something… gonna be executed, I think. He came home to ask you for help on the council with it…"

Tsume instantly switched from 'caring mother' to 'overprotective clan matriarch', growling up a storm. Hana honestly believed her mother was bipolar… or worse. "_NO ONE_ messes with an Inuzuka! _Even if they're not an Inuzuka yet!!!_" Tsume roared, thrusting her fist into the air for emphasis before dashing off on her warpath. If there was one thing Hana knew, it was how to rev her mother into a fury…

---

Naruto stood in front of Hiashi's office, just as Hinata had done only hours earlier… little did he know he was being stalked by one of the few people he didn't want to talk to right now… "_Naruto-kun!_" Hikari yelled, practically pouncing on the boy.

"H-Hikari!?" Naruto choked out from within her death-grip.

"Oh, enough of that… I know all about you and Hinata, so why not just call me _mom_?"

"Erm… okay, Hikari…kaa-chan…" Naruto muttered.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" She asked, looking down at the blonde boy in her arms.

"I guess not." Naruto agreed, smiling halfheartedly.

"Now, let's go find Hinata! I think she's in her room about now…" The older woman said, dragging Naruto down the halls. As soon as they made it to the aforementioned girl's room, the Hyuuga woman practically kicked the girl's door in, dragging Naruto inside, much to her daughter's shock and ire.

To say Hinata was embarrassed would also be an understatement. Seeing one's mother drag your would-be boyfriend into your bedroom is one thing, but doing so while you're barely clothed? Instantly remembering she was in nothing more than a simple nightgown when she shot out of bed, Hinata pulled her blankets up around her, covering everything she could as she screeched not unlike a shrill banshee in her embarrassment. "Hinata!?" Naruto yelled, bringing her out of her shocked (and rather loud) stupor.

"N-Naruto? Mother, why did you bring Naruto here now? _You_ were the one who told me I should get some sleep!" Hinata yelled.

"What better way to make sure I could get you two in the same room at a moment's notice?" Her mother asked, setting the boy down in the chair at Hinata's small desk. "Now, I think we've got a _date_ to plan, don't we?" She asked gleefully.

Naruto and Hinata both had the same thing running through their minds then; _Kami, why did you have to make this woman so damnably HAPPY!?_

* * *

I _HAD_ another uber-cliffhanger-ey bit for the end of this chapter that I came up with yesterday, but I kinda'… forgot what it was… XP

If you think Haku and Kiba are going a little fast, I'm just explaining it as '_Kiba's_ fast, and Haku just doesn't know any better'. It IS her first romantic relationship after all…

I have no idea why, but I always want to put Chouza's name as 'Choza'. It just looks better to me or something.

Oh, and… I don't give a flying fuck what you think, I'm not going to bother going back to change anything now that Naruto's parents have been revealed. That's just too much work for a lazy bastard like me.

Please note, that the only reason I'm posting this now is because I felt guilty about not warning you that it could be months between updates. I guarantee I'll keep updating, but it might be a day, or it might be a year. All you need to know is that it WILL happen.

If you're all so desperate to read my stuff, it's all in my user profile. I usually update at _least_ once a month in one fic or another. (My latest update aside from this one was on August 15th)


	8. Courtship

Oh dear Kami I forgot Shino… this is just not like me… Shino _ROCKS.__ How could I forget him!? _This grievous oversight will be reconciled _posthaste._Please note that, a lot of this chapter is Shino-centric.

And I'd like to apologize for a few things that got _CUT OUT_ of the chapter for some reason. (The 'thing on both Naruto and Hinata's minds' for instance) I did NOT leave that blank, dammit!

One updated thing, though… BUGSPEEEAAAAAAK!!!!!!! Yes. Bugspeak. An underline notes when someone is speaking a non-human language, like bug, dog, fox, cat… whatever. But since this is probably going to be use most often with the Aburame bugs, it remains 'bugspeak'…

* * *

Shino smirked as he stalked down the hallways of his home. 

'Shino, you are late'. His bugs informed him, relaying the message from his father.

The boy didn't bother answering. To be honest, he found it bothersome that his clan almost never tried to speak face-to-face. Multitasking was just too 'efficient'… "I'm sorry father, I hadn't expected to trip over that daisy when I stopped to smell it."

Shibi sighed. "Why must you be so difficult?"

Shino's eyebrow rose just above his shades for a moment as he spoke; "What gave you the idea I wanted to be _easy_?"

His father could do nothing but sigh once more. The only Aburame in a century to use innuendo in casual conversation, and it had to be _his son_. Well, at least he _acts_ like most Aburame in public… _'__most__ of the time…' _he mentally groaned. "I assume there is a reason that you requested a meeting?"

"Yes, father. As a matter of fact, my close friend Kiba recently found an acceptable mate…" This caused Shibi to raise an eyebrow of his own. How could this warrant a meeting? "This girl has subsequently been imprisoned under the inaccurate premise of being a Kirigakure missing-nin."

The elder Aburame, having recently received a base report on the situation, was somewhat curious… or as curious as one could get most Aburame. "And how is this information false?"

"Haku-san is the apprentice of Momochi Zabuza… but on her own account, was never a certified kunoichi. When Momochi-san defected, she followed. Nothing more."

"She seeks asylum in Konohagakure… were you in my position, how would you expedite the situation?"

"Haku-san has, as a person, done no personal wrong against Konoha. After suggesting a requisite trial period in which she would be under constant supervision, it would be prudent that she take a specialized Genin exam prior to her immediate induction into the upcoming Chuunin exams." His father's eyebrows furled. "I believe her to be Chuunin, if not Tokubetsu Jounin level in skill."

"You are sure?" A hint of curiosity permeated his voice so lightly it would be undetectable even to the most highly trained civilians.

"Yes, father. I witnessed her combat and nearly incapacitate my teammate Naruto, whom you know can easily match a Chuunin for power, or a Jounin for tactical theorem." Shibi nodded in agreement. "As such, I would like to request that you advocate Haku's situation."

Shibi nodded. "And what will you do now?"

"I will go and visit the Inuzuka… I wish to know how Kiba is faring." He said with a smirk as he stalked away.

---

There it was… his home away from home… the Inuzuka compound.

Shino honestly spent just as much time here as he did at home… He didn't even need to knock anymore, he'd just walk right in the door and no one would think it out of the ordinary. "Hey Kiba…" Shino muttered, walking up behind his friend only to see the boy twitching in his seat. "Oi… what's wrong?" He asked, waving his hand in front of Kiba's face.

"We gave him 'The Talk' earlier…" Hana said, walking into the room. "He's just been sitting there. No idea what's wrong with him."

Kiba's head slowly turned to his sister. "You tried to _strip,_ that's what!" He said with a shudder.

Shino's eye gained a slight twitch to it as well, and he leaned over his friend ominously. "What did we talk about before?"

Kiba blanched back away from his friend. "They _AMBUSHED _me! How was I supposed to know!?"

Shino just sighed as Hana started laughing. "So, Hana-chan! How abou-…"

She ruffled his hair before he could finish. "This is the one hundred and seventy-second time I've turned you down, brat. Try again when your eyes are higher than my boobs." She chuckled, walking out the door.

"Why do you keep trying, man?" Kiba asked.

"You know I like older women…" Shino retorted.

"That part I get, the 'my sister' thing? Not so much…"

Shino chuckled; a sight only seen by a select few, including the Inuzuka. "Hey, you know I'm already practically a part of the family… what's wrong with making it official?"

"It's creepy as hell, that's what…" Kiba sighed.

"Well, either way man, your sister is _hot_." Shino said, with a glazed look in his eyes. Not that Kiba could see it, but he could tell it was there.

"Oi! Enough of that!" Kiba roared, leaping off his seat. "I'm headin' to my room. I'll see you later."

Shino just chuckled for a while, before heading out the door Hana took. She was sitting out in the Inuzuka gardens, which were much nicer than most would suspect, given their reputation, playing with some of the new pups. "Hey Shino…" She mumbled, causing him to raise an eyebrow. "I'm a Chuunin for good reason, y'know."

"Right…" He said, walking over beside her. "There was something I wanted to ask you…"

"Not until you're older…" She chimed.

"Not that." He muttered coldly, shocking her somewhat. After shooing the pups away, she stood, dusting herself off, and motioned for him to continue. "Do you really not know why everyone hates Naruto, or were you just lying to Kiba?" The look of shock on her face was immediately apparent, to which he answered by pushing his shades further up his nose. "I know. Kiba knows. Naruto told us himself. Now, the question remains; do _you_ know?"

Hana sighed. "Of course I know… How could I not? That whole damn day was burned into my memory."

"Do you hate Naruto for it?" He asked, his voice frigid before he smirked. "We're _never_ going to work out if you do…"

She chuckled at this; here he was, acting like _he_ was the one playing hard to get… "No, I don't… He's really brave for putting up with everyone's shit. Me and mom don't see him like that, even though I'm sure some Inuzuka do…"

"Then they are not worthy of the name…" Shino mumbled almost inaudibly. "Anyway, I'm going to go find Naruto… He's probably hip-deep in some sort of trouble…" He added before walking away, waving behind him.

---

True to his words, Shino found Naruto two hours later, running with Hinata in tow from a hell-bent Hikari flinging around a makeshift flail skillfully crafted from a belt and a thick book on puberty. Shino did _NOT_ want to know how that happened.

((And for the record, the author doesn't want to know either. shudders))

---

Another hour later, and Naruto had finally lost the crazy woman that would one day wind up his mother-in-law... Hinata's Byakugan was more helpful than he could've hoped, unfortunately, Hikari had those same eyes… so it wasn't easy losing her.

"What… the hell… is it… with your mom… and _MOOD SWINGS!?_" Naruto panted.

"Probably just menopause…" Shino muttered from behind the pair, causing both of them to jump.

"And what the hell is _that_?" Naruto asked.

"Something all women go through later on in their lives…" At his, both boys gave Hinata a _look_.

"What?" She asked.

Thirty years later, she'd finally understood that damn look. She'd just reached the end of her own 'cycles' and she'd _kill _Naruto for thinking she'd _ever_ go ballistic!

(-cough-) Anyway, back in the present, Naruto and Shino both shook their heads as the sometimes-stoic boy spoke. "Have you two figured out your plans regarding your relationship, yet? I can suggest a few nice places for a first date, if you'd like…"

The couple blushed at the idea, shaking their heads in unison. "No…" Naruto muttered. "Too busy running from '_mom'_… And on that note, _please hide us!_" He added, dropping to his knees, and holding his hands together as if in prayer.

Shino sighed. "The Aburame district should be sufficient cover for you. I'll arrange a guest room for the two of you…" He said, letting one of his Kikaichou fly off towards his home.

"Don't you mean _two _rooms?" Naruto asked.

"Whatever gave you that idea?" Shino answered with a broad grin, causing the couple to flush red.

---

Neither Hinata nor Naruto were ready to go through with actually _sleeping _together. But neither were they complaining about sharing a bed, either. Shino had put them up in one room of their guest house, which was currently (and almost always) unoccupied. If they decided to _do something_, no one would hear them. And that was exactly why Shino stuck them there. The boy himself was still there with them, helping them get situated with their temporary accommodations, when he started grinning again. A smiling Aburame always meant one thing: trouble.

"You know, if you two want, you could always go for a walk. The Aburame district, although small, has some of the most beautiful parks in Konoha." 'Small' was an understatement. The Aburame clan consisted of about two dozen people, most of them either elderly or relatively young. They just got their own 'district' because most people didn't want to live anywhere near them. Admittedly, they numbered a good five dozen before the Kyuubi attack, but that wasn't very relevant at the moment…

"Yes, that sounds nice…" Hinata said with a slight bow, leading a somewhat confused Naruto out of the room.

Shino couldn't help but smirk again.

---

Naruto and Hinata's impromptu 'date' was going off without a hitch. They were holding hands while they walked through the forests and groves during the waning hours of the day. The two talked, they laughed, and all the while, each held the other's hand.

"So, Hinata, do you think your dad would be okay with… y'know… _us_?" Naruto asked.

"I think so, I mean… he hasn't shown a problem with you in years…" The blonde visible gulped at the news. He used to have problems with him?

"Well, it doesn't matter what he thinks, right?" Naruto wasn't one to be kept down. Not at all… Not even by a scary guy like Hiashi…

Hinata blushed. Was Naruto asking her to run away with him!? She personally didn't have a problem with it, but weren't they a little too… _young _to elope? "O-of course, Naruto-kun…" She mumbled, snuggling into his arm.

"What's with this all of a sudden, Hina-chan? You haven't stuttered with me… crap, when was the last time you did that?" Naruto asked, and she just snuggled closer and blushed in response. "Ehh, anyway, I love you, Hinata."

She stopped walking. What did he just say? It took him a second to notice he didn't have her snuggling into him anymore, and the two were only connected by their laced fingers now. Seeing her wide eyes and paling features, he easily figured out what was the matter. Giving her hand a comforting squeeze while cupping her face in the other, he repeated himself. "I love you, Hinata." He gave her a curious glance before looking around with his eyes. "So… uh… what happens n-'HWUMPH'"

Before he knew what hit him, she'd tackled him to the ground with her lips locked over his. Once his mind registered what'd taken place, he wrapped his arms around her waist, and returned the kiss.

---

Shino, watching from a nearby tree, pumped his arm in a universal sign for 'victory'. Kiba owed him 20 Ryo. (Or a date with Hana, whichever he could finagle first)

And thus was the young Aburame standing on the wall outside Kiba's window, tapping on the glass. Once the window was open, Shino smirked at the boy and said; "I got them to kiss."

"No fucking way… _how_?" was Kiba's response.

"Stroll through the park. They confessed their love for each other, and may very well be doing… naughty things… in their room at our guest house as we speak."

Kiba's mouth was agape in shock. _Naughty things!? HINATA!?_ That just wouldn't compute. "We're going to go see them. Now." He barked.

"I thought you'd say that…" Shino smirked. "This way…"

---

Naruto and Hinata were in the middle of cuddling on the bed- _their_ bed, when Kiba kicked the door open. "Okay, what the _hell _is going on in here!?" He roared.

Naruto glared at them from the other side of Hinata. "None of your business…"

While Shino went to work fixing the door, Kiba started shouting again. "Ohhh no… She's your girlfriend now, which automatically makes one of _us_ your best friend! So spill!" He said, motioning towards Shino, who gave a half-assed wave.

"I ain't gotta' say _shit_." Naruto retorted angrily.

"I ain't lettin' you off that easy! Now _spill_!"

"_BY KAMI, we were just CUDDLING Kiba! Now get the hell out so we can SLEEP!_" Hinata screeched, causing the Inuzuka boy to cringe.

"Oi… I fixed the door, we can go now." Shino added.

Kiba immediately turned, pointing a finger accusingly at the offending hinge. "You won this round, _door_! C'mon Shino, we'll be back!"

And thus the pair stormed out of the room, Kiba slamming the door behind them. "Well, that was weird…" Naruto muttered, wrapping his arms around the girl again. "So, where were we?"

---

The next morning, Shino was immediately called to the Hokage's office for a mission. He arrived first, save for the two Jounin already standing on either side of the Hokage's desk. "Kurenai-sensei, Asuma-sensei…" The somewhat stoic Aburame muttered, nodding to each of them in turn. "Hokage-sama…"

"Good morning." Sarutobi greeted him warmly, briefly looking up from his paperwork to do so.

Soon Sakura, Sasuke, Ino, Kiba (with Akamaru), Chouji and finally, Shikamaru arrived, in that order. Another half an hour, and Kakashi poofed into the room. There was much mirth after the Hokage mentioned giving the silver-haired Jounin the wrong meeting time, and then all were forced to wait on the remaining pair…

Who came storming through the door almost an hour later. "We're sorry! We didn't get the damn memo until after we woke up!" Naruto yelled, looking quite a bit more unkempt than usual. His hair was messy, yes, but it always was. As were his clothes always wrinkly, but then again, as was the norm.

Hinata, on the other hand… was a complete mess. "K-Ku-Kurenai-sensei! H-Hokage-s-sama! I'm so s-sorry for my abs… la… for my tardiness!" She said with a bow. Kurenai's eyebrow noticeably raised at this. Sure, she'd stuttered in the past… but mixed up words? _That_ was new… and she looked like she'd just gotten in a particularly bad fight too… or something. Her hair was messy, and sticking up at odd angles in places, her clothes were wrinkly and disheveled, and worst of all… she _smelled_… like _Naruto_ of all things… _NOTICEABLY _so.

To make things even more uncomfortable, it was the Hokage who spoke first. "_Naruto_… have you been… _fornicating _with your fellow Genin? The _Hyuuga_ _Heiress_ no less?"

Naruto and Hinata both paled instantly. "_NO!!!_" they screeched in unison, both blushing furiously.

Just then, a small insect fluttered into the room lazily, landing on Shino's finger and attracting the attention of everyone in the room. After mumbling to it inaudibly for a moment, the small creature crawled into his sleeve, and was gone. "They speak the truth… they have done nothing particularly intimate in the last nine hours…" Shino said, ominously leaving the statement open for interpretation.

"DAMMIT SHINO!" Naruto boomed. "You _bugged _our room!?"

"Literally…" Shino answered with a smirk and a nod.

_"'Our'_ room?" Kakashi and Kurenai asked simultaneously, giving their equally dark tones an ominous echo.

The young couple inched back slowly, as if preparing to flee, when Shino stepped between them and their respective sensei. "Please hold for a moment, it is my fault that their accommodations were as inappropriate as they were… I apologize wholeheartedly." He said, bowing slightly. "They were fleeing from Hyuuga Hikari, in response to what I assume was… a misunderstanding brought about by their current relations. I, in turn, offered the Aburame guest house to them for the duration of their tryst."

The entire room was silent. Naruto and Hinata were openly gaping, as were the older shinobi, including the Hokage. Chouji had dropped his chips, Shikamaru's eyes were wide, Ino and Sakura were giggling silently, yet conspiratorially, Kiba's eye was twitching again and Akamaru seemed to be smiling, while Sasuke simply scowled as he usually did, putting a _tadbit_ more effort into the glare he always had pointed at the blonde.

Then, a snort was heard. Then a chuckle, and then full-blown laughter and a loud 'thump' as Shino hit the floor in a hysterical fit. "Ya-you should've seen l-_looks_ on all your f-faces!" He spat between breaths. The entire room, aside from Shino, was silent once more, their focus shifting from rebooting their brains to… well… the same thing, for a different reason. The Aburame boy… was _LAUGHING. _After a good fifteen minutes, Shino had managed to compose himself once more. "I apologize… for my previous… attempt at humor. Apparently, my skills are still lacking." He bowed again. "In truth, they were fleeing from Hyuuga Hikari-san, and I offered them refuge, however I did so in order to win a bet with Kiba, regarding who could get the young couple to kiss first. I won spectacularly and repetitively." They all could've sworn they heard crickets chirping… although that might've just been Shino's Kikai. "That too, was an attempt at humor, although I did in fact win the bet… which reminds me, Kiba, you still owe me twenty Ryo, or a date with your sister."

As all others were still in a state of shock, only Kiba could respond. "HEY! You _know_ I was joking about _BOTH _of those!"

"I however, was not, and I intend to inform Hana-chan of our arrangement after the culmination of our current assignment, should you fail to procure the promised funds." Shino responded, forming that unholy smirk of his again.

Akamaru whined as Kiba glared at the Aburame boy. "You are an evil bastard, you know that?"

"Neither of those words properly describes me, Kiba… I am simply a boy with a goal." Shino shrugged.

"Yeah, _my sister!_" Kiba barked.

Shino smiled maliciously. "Precisely…"

It was at this point that the Hokage chose to intervene by clearing his throat. "Now stop this bickering… I have a mission for the lot of you, but I have a few questions first." He gave pause for any objections, to which he found none. "Naruto, how much of what Shino has said about your relationship with Hinata was accurate?"

"Erm…" Naruto blushed and sputtered for a moment, until Hinata grabbed his hand and subsequently, his attention. She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring nod, as she was shaking horribly in fear. "Oji-san… All of it, I think… I am currently dating Hinata, and no… _intimacy_ beyond… erm… well, we haven't been very intimate yet." He said, looking to Hinata pleadingly.

"H-Hokage-sama… N-Naruto-kun and I have j-just d-decided to start d-dating." She said. "W-we haven't fr-_fraternized_ in t-the least, and d-do not _plan_to for q-quite some t-time…"

Sarutobi nodded in understanding. "I apologize for putting you both in such an uncomfortable situation, bu-…"

Before the aged Hokage could continue, Hinata spoke out again. "A-I know, Hokage-sama!" She shouted, surprising all present as she stepped forward slightly. "I kn-know about N-Naruto-k-kun's… _burden_." Everyone who had an inkling of what she spoke of stiffened at the mention of it, but none spoke out. "A-and… I l-l-lo… I still l-love him, Hokage-sama…"

The old man could've laughed right then. It showed openly on his features for even the youths to see. Naruto found someone that loved him for _him_. It was good to know that _some_ things worked out for the best… "Well then, young ones, I believe we should get started on your mission briefing. Naruto, Hinata, I will leave this matter for now, but you _will _need to speak to Hikari-san and Hiashi-san upon your return." Leaving no opening for the still-ignorant members of the group to ask questions, the old man then pulled out a rather small scroll with a bold 'B' emblazoned on it.

"A B-Rank? You're getting senile old man…" The younger Sarutobi muttered, much to his father's dismay.

The Hokage, after giving his son a slight glare, smirked. "I believe the other two teams here have proven that a pair of Genin squads can take care of an A-Rank mission, so I believe a B-Rank should be no trouble for three…"

Asuma's eyes widened, and he turned to Kurenai. "That was _you_?" He asked incredulously. "I mean, I'd heard about it, but I thought it was just a rumor…"

"Oh no, it was very true." The Hokage stated, taking a puff from his pipe as he did so. "And another note, the matter with Haku and Zabuza should be resolved by the time you get back… which is another reason you're going."

"WHAT!?" Kiba roared. "We're being thrown out of the village so we won't screw with the trial? Is that it!?" Akamaru barked along with his partner for emphasis. Even he'd grown attached to the girl in his time spent keeping her company in her cell.

"In a manner of speaking, yes." Sarutobi replied. "But, don't think we're doing this just to get you out of the village. You are going on a _very_ important mission requested by the Fire Daimyo himself." And _that_ shut everyone up. Once the silence was firmly established, he continued. "The Daimyo is holding a gala ball in honor of his daughter coming of marriageable age. Your three teams will be the security detail for this ball."

"Three Genin teams to guard the Daimyo's progeny? …That seems a little lax to me…" Kakashi mumbled, his trademark porn closed in his hands as he spoke.

"Yes, but this also includes three Jounin, as well as three battalions of the Daimyo's own samurai." The elder Sarutobi interjected.

"Well that makes more sense…" Asuma added, scratching his beard in contemplation.

"We will also be issuing faux Chuunin vests to teams seven and eight for the duration of the mission." Several gasps were heard as the Hokage spoke, only to be silenced as he held up his hand. "It is against protocol, yes, but we are dealing with a high-end client and a high-rank mission. Some rules may be… _bent_ in these situations."

"What about _US!?_" Ino screeched, causing every man in the room to cringe, even if it was unnoticeably in most cases.

"Team ten will be undercover for the duration of the mission." Sarutobi said, silencing the room once more. "Most would assume three Jounin and six Chuunin to be enough, but Ino will be posing as the target's handmaiden, Chouji will not be 'undercover' in the literal sense, but will instead be the 'token Akimichi' at the formal gathering."

"Ohh… my dad talks about that sometimes…" Chouji said, raising his hand intellectually. "Some of the more snooty nobles won't eat anything without knowing the life-story of their food, right?" At the elder's nod, Chouji continued. "So then I'm to assume my clan in handling the catering, and thus, that there will be more shinobi there?"

"Yes. Chouza along with two other Akimichi Chuunin have been charged with serving the meals. Although it may be a somewhat lackluster operation, it makes people feel better knowing that several more ninja are nearby, even if it is not their mission to guard them." The old man took several more puffs from his pipe before continuing. "And so, young Shikamaru has been selected to pose as one of the young woman's suitors, and Asuma will be guarding the premises on shifts with the other Jounin."

"Wait… I'm going to be a what?" Shikamaru asked, his eyebrow raised as the only sign of his utter shock and confusion.

"A suitor. As this ball is announcing the Daimyo's daughter into marriageable age, there will undoubtedly be many such men of many ages attempting to court her. You will be posing as one of these men."

Shikamaru only had one thing to say to that. "Mendokuse…"

* * *

I'll be the first to admit I've been connecting a little too well with my 'inner Shikamaru' lately. I've been too damn lazy, and… well, overall that's been adversely effecting my… erm… everything. 

Anyway, I should be getting back into the swing of things eventually, so don't let this little lull in chapter production get you down, ne?

I DID in fact hit my '4K minimum' with the word count! Heheh… Anyway, I'll be working on a few specific fics; TBH (this'n) ORE, HI, and trying (and probably failing) to finish the last chapter of SoAS. I know… you want chapters… tough luck. I'm sick, I have schoolwork, I need to find an ACTUAL job… lots of things to keep me from writing. Complaining ain't gonna make me write faster.

There will be a vote as to what happens to Sasuke. Fight will be almost exactly the same either way. (Either he gets a Rasengan to the left side of his chest and dies, or the right side, and he ALMOST dies)

This vote is not run by NUMBER of votes. I just thought I should point that out. What wins this is the BEST reason for him to live or die. (Shit like 'Kill him, he's a douche' will not count) I'm looking for real, intellectual reasons. Personally, I'm hoping Sasuke lives. I've been meaning to try my hand at 'good Sasuke' but haven't gotten the chance. Nonetheless, I leave it up to you. PM me with WHY Sasuke should live or die, and I'll see about it when I get around to the big fight.

A hundred reviews yelling at me to kill Sasuke won't change my decision in the least, so please, don't. (Same goes for him living. Just no)


	9. Chapter 9

Okay. I've tried. I really have. I just can't find the spark to write anymore. Maybe I'll pick it up again later, like when college isn't eating up all of my writing time anyway, but for now...

Consider this fic discontinued.

I know, I promised it'd get done, but hey... my GPA comes first.


End file.
